


To Build a Home

by https_fern



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, F/M, Marauders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-02-10 04:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 40,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12904572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/https_fern/pseuds/https_fern
Summary: "Why did I even marry you, McKinnon?" he shook his head, an amused undertone in his voice."You claim you love me," she shrugged back, her eyes already averted to the food being prepared. "Having second thoughts?""Not really loving or feeling loved in the past ten minutes," he answered back. "No happy birthday wishes so far, but tons of death threats."Sirius Black never thought he would live up to the expectations of becoming a married man with a family to take care of, but the First Wizarding War made him pay too much for that.Now, 19 years later, single father of twins and just coming back to a normal life after the death of Voldemort, he realized that he wasn't over his past yet.Blackinnon AU





	1. Chapter One

Throughout the years, Sirius Black had grown used to the sound of doors slamming, hushed argues and stomps up the stairs, but that time he was actually concerned about the commotion going on upstairs.

Being a father of twins was not something he thought he would be, even less a single parent, but he took the job pretty well. Lyra and Alya Black had the same features, but their resemblances stopped right there; while one was brunette, the other was blonde. One seemed calm enough, until put under pressure. The other was a walking storm, but tended to remain calm when needed. While Alya was seen as the “evil” one, those who knew the girls knew Lyra was the meanest. Surely, a lot of argues and fights had broken out between the two of them, but none seemed to last for long or to be vicious, as they had grown to be not only twins, but best friends.

Having that in mind, Sirius was completely confused with all the silence in his house that Saturday morning. It wasn’t that early (when was he ever up before 10 a.m. on weekends?), but the lack of voices astonished him. Normally, by that time, Lyra and Alya would be already awoken, running up and down the stairs, failed whispers coming from them. That day, however, the house they had lived for the past 17 years - and seen a lot of shouts - was immersed in the most complete silence.

The first thought to ever cross his mind was that something had happened to them. The horrors of the war still plaged his mind and his heart wasted no time in going cold, freezing him in place. Moments later, he remembered it was over. Voldemort had been dead for a couple of months. The followers who had scattered away had Aurors hot on their trail, Sirius had made sure of that. With a sigh of relief, he made his way upstairs, his steps lightly echoing throughout the wood stair.

What he didn’t expect, however, was the sight that greeted him outside Lyra’s door. She was there, her hair tousled, her face marked from the pillows and the long t-shirt she used as pajamas was slightly out of place. She had been sleeping, alright, and it should be enough to calm Sirius’ heart, at least a little bit, but it didn’t. And it wasn’t because she looked a mess compared to all the other mornings, but because there was someone behind her, his head facing the inside of the room while his hands ran through his messed up hair.

“Are you sure?” the guy asked, his eyes still averted to the inside of the room, his back to Sirius, completely unaware of him being there.

“Absolutely,” Lyra said back. She was looking at the boy, a small smile on her lips, her features carefree. If there was anything he couldn’t deny was how much she seemed happy. For the first time in a long while, he could see his daughter acting her age. Surely, though, he didn’t like the fact that there was a boy coming out of her room. “He shouldn’t be up for another hour or so. You have plenty of time.”

“I don’t like this one bit, Lya,” the brunette boy said once again, his feet finally leading him to the hallway. His whiskey eyes showed some kind of remorse and worry, like he had been doing this way too many times. “Next time, we’re going back to my place. My dad wouldn’t kill you.”

Sirius heard a muffled laugh come from Lyra and he could picture her rolling her eyes. She was about to turn around and see him standing there, but something stopped her. Better yet, someone.

“You know I love you, but this is getting a bit ridiculous,” the boy said once again, one of his hands closing around the girl’s wrist and pulling her towards him. “We’re both 18 and we’ve known each other since always. Do you really think your dad would be that mad at us?”

Sirius let out a sigh, taking silent steps back until he reached the staircase again, and walked back to the living room, his thoughts consuming him once more.

There was a time where he’d storm into the middle of that conversation and put Lyra 50 meters away from John. His arms would be all over the place, his voice would carry away and from the same way he came, a blonde head would appear, yelling at him for being so dramatic and having no sense of privacy whatsoever. In this scenario, he’d be freaking out over the fact that his little girl – whether she was 8 or 18 – had made her long term boyfriend sleepover.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know about them, because he did. He remembered vividly the time Lyra and Alya said anything about dating and having boyfriends, he only chose to neglect it.

Sirius had pushed back the feeling he got when he heard his daughters were ‘going out’ with guys. He knew it was bound to happen sometime, but didn’t want to believe that it was already going on. They weren’t kids anymore, even if he liked to believe so, but it still caused some kind of anger inside of him, knowing that some guy could just go up and close to his daughters and end up stealing them from him. It didn’t help that one of them was the son of one of his best friends.

He always knew John and Lyra were close, always hanging out and being there for each other. Even more after they got into Hogwarts, each of them being sorted into different Houses. It was like they were making up for that, like the amount of time spent together out of school wasn’t enough. He never questioned it, though. The years had been rough on them with the girls never knowing their mother and John losing his at only 13.

His track of thought got lost as soon as he heard footsteps entering the living room, him sitting directly to the base of the stair, catching Lyra’s wide open eyes and John’s terrified look.

“D-Dad!” the girl said. “Hi. What are you doing up so early?”

Sirius looked from her to the clock on the wall, then back at her, one eyebrow up.

“Early?” he questioned, his tone somber. “You might have lost track of time, sweetheart.” He went on, his eyes never leaving hers or John’s, who was still squirming behind her. “Good morning, John.”

The boy did nothing other than just nod his head in Sirius’ direction, his eyes scanning the floor like it needed his undivided attention. If it were possible, they would be able to hear the young boy’s heart hammering against his ribcage and the sweat drops forming on his forehead. John Lupin was close to having a heart attack and little did he know that Sirius felt the same way.

The silence in the room was palpable, making the tension grow heavier among them. Sirius Black kept staring at his daughter and his best friend’s son, both of them holding hands and their heads hanging low. John wanted nothing more than to just be swallowed by the floor while Lyra kept forcing her brain to come up with a plausible lie that would make her father believe whatever she said. It wasn’t easy, she realized after a few seconds. She was caught red-handed and there was no way out of it.

“Does it help if I say this is not what you think it is?” she asked tentatively, her eyes squinting.

“And what do you think I think it is?” Sirius asked back, his arms crossing over his chest. It was a simple action, almost absentminded for him, but something that made John grow anxious. He knew that gone was the man who he called ‘uncle’ and a very angry father, head of the Auror Department, was in front of him.

“That I may, or may not, have done something really stupid.” The black haired girl said back, her shoulders dropping and head shaking. “Which I did not, may I add.” She completed hurriedly.

Sirius wanted to chuckle and shake his head. He had lost count of how many times he had been caught in the same situation as the two in front of him. He remembered being lectured countless times by a very worried Mrs. Potter, saying how she wished he could be a little less reckless and tried to knock some sense into Marlene too, as she was always involved in this kind of trouble. He remembered a particularly time where he had sneaked to her house so many times that it actually got him caught, ending up being grounded and not allowed out of the house for at least a month. He also remembered how it didn’t work out that good and Marlene showing up on his window, hovering on a broomstick, the wind going through her blonde hair, on her face a smirk upon seeing him enclosed in his own room. But Sirius also knew that he had to be stern. He didn’t want that to happen under his watch to any of his daughters. He couldn’t do anything that would give someone else a slight chance of winning them over.

“Have I ever told you the story of the time I got grounded for sleeping with your mom?” he asked after a few moments of silence, a deep sigh coming out of him.

Lyra blinked a couple of times, not really sure what was happening at the moment.

“What does this have to do with anything?” she asked taking a step closer to John. At that time, she seriously thought her father had lost it.

“Well, if you just wait…” Sirius said while taking a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts to himself and organize them before telling the story. “Back when we were in school, your mom lived with her parentes in Scotland.” He started with a grin. “We had grown used to having each other around, so it was kind of weird sleeping on my own and having so much alone time. Obviously, I thought it was a good idea to sneak out and visit. Every single night during the summer.”

Lyra blinked a few times, engrossed in the story about her dad’s past. The past where her mother was still alive and her dad probably didn’t have the sad look on his face he always seemed to have. She wanted to know where this story was leading to.

“Eventually, I got caught, no surprise there, and was sentenced to spend the entire month in the house, not allowed to do anything other than what I was asked. It wasn’t because of pure stiffness from the Potters, but because we were living under the constant fear of a war raging on. It didn’t help that any of us cared about it. All that mattered was living as if there was no tomorrow,” Sirius sighed. “So, obviously, your mom thought that there would be no harm in just showing up outside my windon one afternoon, laughing at my face and offering some company. One thing lead to another and next thing you know, Mrs. Potter is walking in on us.”

“Oh, wow, dad. You were so punk rock.” The girl stated and Sirius rolled his eyes.

“Not the point,” he said waving his hands. “The thing is… I know what it’s like to be young and want to live your on life, but for as long as you live with me, you’re going to have to follow my rules. I don’t ask for much, kiddo, and I’m not gonna yell at you two or punch John in the face,  _even if I really want to_ ,” he completed with a murderous look to the boy. “But I know that forbidding you or grounding you is not gonna have any effect. Just, please, if you can spare me, do it. Wait for a day I’m not around, or when I have to work through the night, ok?”

Lyra kept looking at her father for a few seconds. Never, in a billion years, she would have thought he would be so calm and understanding like this. She had pictured him marching up to them, slamming John against a wall and yelling at his face for corrupting his little girl – when clearly it had been the other way around – and then Apparating to his house, only to punch uncle Remus in the face just because he was related to the boy. That was the kind of reaction worthy of a very angry and very dramatic Sirius Black. To say that she was beyond surprised was the understatement of the year. The fact that he left the living room shortly after that, not saying any other word, contributed to it.

* * *

 

Sometimes, Alya wanted to punch her sister in the face. But not just some light hit or a game between siblings. Oh, no. She wanted to hit Lyra square in the nose and then shake her shoulders violently, trying to knock (quite literally) some sense into her twin. How could have she managed to screw things up so easily?

“Ok… How the hell did Dad find out?” she asked one more time, losing her short temper due to the fact that Lyra hadn’t answered her yet.

“I overslept, ok?” she said with a sigh. “I know it’s a lame excuse and all, but honestly, Aly, I was really sleep deprived after all those months of running for my life. We didn’t even do anything. We just slept, literally. I lost track of time and didn’t realize Dad would be up already,” she explained. “Tell me, Alya, how was I supposed to know?”

Alya thought about how to answer that question and the truth was that she didn’t know. She couldn’t deny that the war had taken a toll on all of them, running to save their lives while worrying about everyone they cared about. It wasn’t an easy year for anyone. She, sometimes, woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, vivid dreams about her days as a war fugitive coming back to her, the menace of the snatchers lurking in every corner as well as the fear of not living to see another day.

Being so, she couldn’t really blame her sister for having overslept in the comfort of her bedroom, without being afraid of dying that night, with the man she loved right by her side. It would be too insensitive.

“Ok,” Alya breathed out. “It happened and he didn’t freak out that much. We can deal with it. It’s not like you would go and have some hot sex with John for Dad to hear,” she shrugged. “Right?”

“Merlin, Aly, of course not. What do you take me for?” Lyra shot completely taken aback. She would never do something like that to anyone. Ever.

“Just checking,” her twin said, her hands up in surrender. “You did not sell me out, though, right?”

Lyra fought the urge to roll her eyes. Twice Alya had accused her of doing something she would never be capable of doing in less than one minute. If they weren’t sisters, she’d probably hexed her by now.

“What you do, or do not, in your free time is none of my concern,” she started, her fingers tapping against the wood table in the dining room. “So, as long as you don’t kill someone, I will not mention a word about you fucking Malfoy, ok?”

“Merlin’s pants, Lyra,” the blonde girl laughed. “Did someone piss on your cereal today? Is someone not doing their job properly in bed?”

“Yeah, right, cause that’s my problem and not you being so obnoxious today.”

Alya let out a breathy laugh and shook her head. Her sister’s bad humor really wasn’t something to mess with, but she couldn’t help herself.

“I still don’t get it,” she said sitting across from Lyra, her laugh gone.

“What?”

“You could have any guy, literally any guy, at Hogwarts or anywhere and you went for the Ravenclaw Pride boy. Why?

Lyra stared ahead, her eyes losing focus as she thought in a way to reply it. Yes, Alya had had relationships before, but she never admited, or never allowed, them to be more than casual hookups. Something to difuse the tension, she had said. It was never something meaningful, never lasting more than a couple of months. It was obvious she wouldn’t understand what Lyra felt.

“I don’t know,” she began, a smile playing in the edges of her lips. “It’s just… Everything seems better when we’re together. I feel my heart racing when he’s around, my stomach drops, my hands get sweaty and, suddenly, nothing else matters. I just love him, Aly. A lot.”

A lingering silence fell upon them. Lyra was much too lost in her memories and in her feelings for the Lupin boy while Alya was trying to understand it all. She had never had that, being too much of a high maintenance for anyone to last. She knew it, but she didn’t care. She was not looking for romance. She wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to grow up, meet someone, fall in love, get married, have kids and the grow old by their lover’s side. It was a concept she never understood, unlike Lyra, but she couldn’t deny it was a valid one. Alya knew her sister had become a much better person after she and John finally admitted their feelings for each other, how happy she seemed to be out of nowhere and how Alya wanted to throw up at the smallest display of affection.

Then it hit her and her sister’s words echoed in her mind.

“Oh my Merlin, I can’t believe we never thought about it,” she said loudly, startling Lyra.

“What’s going on?”

“Don’t you get it?,” Alya plastered a wicked grin. “You said that when you’re with John, nothing else matters, right?” Lyra only nodded. “And I see how lost in the world you get and all that lovey dovey crap,” at this point, she was out of her seat, pacing around in the dining room. “So why don’t we get Dad a girlfriend? I mean, he’d be over the moon, dacing on table tops, not having a worry in the world and, obviously, cutting us some slack, not being around us all the time.”

“Honestly, Alya,” Lyra began with a roll of eyes. “This is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. Don’t you think that, by now, if he wanted, he would have a girlfriend?”

“Lyra, you know how he’s all full of crap. I heard him once, telling uncle James that he didn’t think it would be fair on us, cause he didn’t want us to feel like we were replacing mom,” she rolled her eyes this time. “As if we even remembered her. I say we go for it. The man is in great need.”

The thought wasn’t that crazy, Lyra pondered. Sirius Black had never been with any other woman in 17 years. He had dedicated all this time to his daughters, educating them, helping them when they needed, but now they were old enough to make their own decisions, old enough to make their own mistakes. It was time for him to finally live his life.

With a devious smile, Lyra finally nodded at her sister’s direction, silently agreeing with her and already compiling a plan.


	2. Chapter Two

“You do realize you’re being ridiculous, right?

While operation ‘Find Dad a Girlfriend’ was definitely a go and completely oblivious to the most important person involved, Sirius spent his time sat across a giggly James and a reasonable looking Lily. Of course the Black male had to get out of the house as soon as he was done talking to his daughter. Of course he chose to go to his best friends’ house and, of course, he had told them exactly what he had seen that morning. What he didn’t expect, however, was for them to completely roll their eyes at him and, in James’ case, laugh at his serious problem.

“Excuse me?” Sirius said turning to Lily, one eyebrow up. If he were standing up, he’d be full mode with his hands on his waist, looking her dead in the eye. “What are you implying here, Evans?”

Lily just rolled her eyes. 19 years since she had last used this name and he still insisted on calling her that. Maybe it was in old times sake, she couldn’t quite be sure, but, despite her outside reaction, she felt warm inside whenever he called her that. It made her feel like they were 17 again and didn’t have a care in the world. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel like they were back at Hogwarts. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter causing havoc everywhere, pulling pranks on anyone they set their eyes on, but, yet again, surprising everyone at how smart they could really be.

But if she opened her eyes, it dawned on her how much things had changed. They weren’t teenagers anymore. They weren’t at Hogwarts and there wasn’t 4 Marauders anymore. The war, Voldemort, had taken it away from them. And in those few seconds, where everything came flooding back into her mind, she slightly hated the fact that Sirius still referred to her as ‘Evans’. She knew he meant it in the most adorable way, as he had always called her that, but it also remembered her of how much they had lost over the years.

“I didn’t spend six years and a half trying to convince her to go out with me and then, finally, marrying her to have you calling Lily ‘Evans’, mate,” James said from his side of the table, a grin still visibly on his face, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Even after all those years, that side of him (along with Sirius’) was not lost.

“Not the point,” Lily said waving her hand dismissively. “The thing is, Sirius, you’re overreacting. Alya and Lyra are 18. They’re adults and, let’s be honest, they are your daughters,” she completed, her eyes staring directly at him, smiling as she noticed his reaction.

“ _Excuse me_ ,” Sirius said once again, his eyebrows frowning.

“Oh, come on,” James rolled his eyes. “Remind me again why you broke two ribs back in seventh year, Pads.”

Sirius couldn’t help the grin that invaded his features. His hands hurriedly moved to his ribcage, brushing against the fabric of his shirt as if the bandages were still there, if the region was still sore even after all those years. The memories came flooding back to his mind, and he knew that any attempt of trying to repress it would be in vain.

* * *

_He was late. He was incredibly late and he knew it. But even so, Sirius couldn’t force himself to detach his arms from around Marlene’s waist, his head burried in her neck as he kissed the exposed skin, adding a few soft bites every now and then, her hands roaming all over his back._

_The small sighes escaping her lips were enough to make him forget all about practice, all about any magical sport. The low sounds were like fuel to him, making Sirius persist at his task of marking the girl all over, something to show everyone how off the limits she was._

_“I should go,” he mumbled against her skin, his eyes closed sucking in the feeling her nails scratching against his back provided, a small hiss leaving his lips._

_“Mhmm,” she hummered back, her lips now moving to his jaw, completely rejecting every attempt he made of moving._

_“No, I really should,” he said once more, his eyes finally opening and gazing her incredibly blue ones. “James is going to kill me.”_

_“Let him try,” she said back, a devious smirk on her face._

_When they first started whatever they had between them, Sirius knew he was doomed. He knew he would never be able to resist her ever again from day one, but he didn’t care, nor wanted to. The casual hookups then started to be more than just that. They could be seen walking together all day, spending free time together, talking rather than snogging and then, finally, snogging in every bloody corner. It was like Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon had been sewed together over the night and it was hard to see them out of each other’s reach._

_The Hogwarts community was taken by surprise. No one was expecting it to happen, as they could be seen throwing offenses at each other from across the hall and the rumors about the new couple in campus spread like leaves in the autumn breeze._

_“As much as I like to hear that you think I can outlast James in a fight,” the boy started with a chuckle. “I don’t want to put it to a test. You know how he can be when it comes to Quidditch.”_

_And indeed she knew. Marlene had had her troubles with the Gryffindor Captain more than once. James was absurdly competitive, even more when it involved his team playing against Slytherin, to which she was the Captain of._

_She knew the black haired boy ever since they were kids and she knew how he hated losing, putting 110% of himself into any match and scolding whoever didn’t follow his exemple. Or the ridiculous practicing schedules he came up with. For that reason, she knew it was better if Sirius would just leave the room and go to that pitch, play serious for a couple of hours and then join her back in his bed._

_“He’s so sure he can beat me,” she said smiling, her arms finally letting go of Sirius and pushing him back slightly. “Are you, Black?”_

_“Don’t even try to say you can win this match, McKinnon,” he said standing up, his eyes scanning the room in search of his lost jersey. “You can’t,” he completed._

_“Is that a challenge?” she asked, her eyes gleaming in the dim light of the dorm. “’Cause, if you don’t know, you’d have to win by a hundred points to come first.”_

_Sirius smiled at her and shook his head. She had this stupid idea that she could win the Quidditch Cup, but he knew, that even if his team was in second place, there was no way Slytherin would make it. James had pushed them into training way more since Gryffindor had lost against Ravenclaw. The players’ sleeping schedule was fucked up, they were training hard and all the time. They knew any other team wouldn’t stand a chance against them. It was a fact and Sirius didn’t even need to spy on his girlfriend to know it._

_“I won’t go easy on you, McKinnon,” the boy stated, his hands finally taking a hold of the small pile of clothes he had beside his table, sorting through it and finding his training gear._

_“I don’t expect you to,” she shrugged. “I’d like to have you at peak performance.”_

_It was incredible how she could change the mood around them with a single sentence. Sirius could detect every kind of meaning behind Marlene’s words, every time. Consequently, it wasn’t hard to understand what she clearly had meant and while she was talking about Quidditch, she was also talking about something else._

_“Don’t worry,” he winked. “I’ll be back in no time and we can resume whatever we were doing.”_

_The girl casted a glance in his direction, her lips forming a devious smile. She wasn’t going to let go of him that easily. She wanted to make him suffer a little bit for leaving her alone in his bedroom, even if it wasn’t really his fault. To be honest, it was. Sirius shouldn’t have started something he was not going to be able to finish any time soon._

_“Ok,” Marlene said rolling out of bed, her hands coming in contact with one of Sirius’ white shirt, buttoning it down her frame, her bare legs in his plain sight. “Just keep in mind that I’ll be here, all alone, with all this time to spare,” she looked at him, her hands running down her body slowly. “In nothing but this white, almost see-through, shirt of yours.”_

_If there was anything in Sirius’ mind, it now had fled, leaving him dazzled. How co_ _uld he resist such a sight right in front of him, so close he could touch it. A lot of promiscuous thoughts were running through his mind that moment. What if he just skipped practice and stayed? He surely saw more effect in being with Marlene. He wanted nothing more than to just run his hands over her body, kiss her mouth until her lips went numb, fuck her until she couldn’t take it anymore, only to start it all over again._

_“That’s just mean,” he managed to say, his mouth dry, his eyes wide. He suddenly was very aware of the unwanted bulge that grew in his pants._

_With a smirk, Marlene just winked at him and ushered the boy out of the room, not giving him a second glance and closing the door right after he left. To say that Sirius Black was in for an awful practice was the understatement of the year._

_He didn’t know how he reached the pitch. His thoughts were so immersed in the last vision he had seen before leaving, that his brain didn’t even acknowledged the fact that his feet were moving._

_“You’re so fucking late!” was what greeted him. James was pissed and it was understandable. “I swear to Merlin, Padfoot… If you fuck this up, I’m gonna kill you.”_

_Sirius dismissed it. He was full of James’ threats and he knew he’d never really do anything. James Potter was just so set into winning that he didn’t know where to stop, never had. No one could blame him, though. The last game was coming up and it was their last year. No one wanted to leave Hogwarts without having the Quidditch Cup._

_They were training hard that day. There was no going back until they could do every single play correctly, until they’ve mastered all the positions they should be in. It was already ten past seven. The sun was long gone and the darkness had surrounded them and everyone was tired. The sweat was dripping down their bodies, their hands were cold and their vision was already blurred. The entire team had been playing for the past 3 hours and they weren’t expecting James to call the quits any time soon._

_Sirius wanted nothing more than to just throw a bludger to his best friend’s head. He was sore, he was tired and, to be honest, he was horny. And, once again, his mind had wandered to his girlfriend. The image of Marlene in his room had not left his head in any of the time. He could still remember how she looked, her hair in tangles, her plump lips in a pout and her long legs in full display. It was hard to have to play Quidditch while he could be with her, buried in the silk skin of her legs._

_There should be a warning outside the pitch saying that no one should play without being 100% focused. Maybe there was, but Sirius didn’t know and wouldn’t even think about it until it was too late. He never saw the bludger coming in his direction, he never heard his team mates yelling at him. All he did was stare into an empty space until he felt something hitting him, full force. His hands lost hold of his broom and soon he was spiriling to the ground._

**~*~**

_Marlene was bored out of her mind. She had lost count of how many times she had looked at the mirror, fixing her hair and applying a new layer of lipstick while waiting for Sirius. She knew the practice would be ruthless, but it had been almost five hours since he had gone._

_A rushed knock to the door snapped her out of her thoughts and a worried looking James walked in, startling her even more._

_“You need to come to the hospital wing right now,” was the first thing he said once he walked into the room. He ignored the clothes spread around the room and the barely clothed girl in front of him. It was a scene he was, unwillingly, used to at this point._

_“What happened?” the girl asked concerned at the black haired guy’s rush._

_“Sirius fell off his broom,” he sighed. “Broke two ribs and is being incredibly annoying so, please, just go ease him down.”_

_James Potter should not be the one entrusted to give that kind of news. Had it been anything a little more serious, Marlene would be on the verge of having a heart attack at how subtlety was not a word in the boy’s vocabulary. Nevertheless, she threw some clothes on and hurried to the hospital wing in record time, reaching the ward and entering it in under ten minutes._

_As soon as the door closed behind her back, she could see a very distressed looking Sirius laying in bed, his upper body involved in bandages, his face covered in bruises._

_“Merlin’s pants, Black,” she murmured as soon as she reached him, her eyes scanning him all over. “All of that just because you were too scared of facing me next week?”_

_A small chuckle came from the boy, but soon was replaced by a painful grimace, his eyes closing in a feeble attempt of trying to contain it._

_“You wish,” he replied in a small voice, his head thrown back._

_If anyone were to walk in that moment, they would not see Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon. Or at least they wouldn’t believe it was them. The couple was leaning into each other, talking in low voices and acting caringly. It was out of the ordinary to see them acting like this, but special times asked for special measures._

_“Are you in much pain?” she asked running her hands through his hair._

_“Only when I breathe,” Sirius managed to say through gritted teeth._

_Nothing more was said between them, Marlene choosing to let him rest while the potions were taking effect. She knew Sirius pretty much and was sure he was going to be whining all the time. It was going to be along night._

* * *

“Ok, ok,” Sirius said rolling his eyes. “I get your point. I wasn’t the most focused when it came to having a semi-naked Marlene in my room.”

Lily looked at both of them and rolled her eyes. She thought she would be used to that by now, but she wasn’t.

“No,” James shook his head. “My point is you were a little manwhore walking around the grounds. Can you really expect Alya and Lyra to be pure?”

“Yeah, I don’t like what you’re implying here,” the Black male said.

“They’re teenagers, Sirius!” Lily said once again, exasperated this time. “Stop acting like they’re doing something wrong. They are living their lives and being happy, ok? So suck it up and man up. What would Marlene say?”

The mention of his wife made him stop whatever he was going to say. It was one thing having him mentioning her when they were together, another was to have her mentioned by someone else, asking him what she would do if she was alive. That situation made his heart ache and his mind go blank. It had been years, but the fact that she wasn’t around anymore was not something he would ever grow used to.

Lily realized that a bit too late. She saw his eyes cast down and his head shake, but the damage was already done. She couldn’t say anything else other than apologize for what she had said. She remembered how extremely hard it was for him. The sleepless nights he spent, not daring to believe a word everyone was saying about her being dead, the amount of time and money he spent on looking for her, how he had almost lost his will to live. If he hadn’t the girls, he’d probably not be there.

The tension, however thick, was cut as soon as a stressed looking Remus walked in through the door, his tired frame seeming even more worn out, the bags under his eyes more prominent and his shoulder hanging low. The once young Marauder was the epitome of exhaustion, but as soon as his eyes landed on Sirius, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Did you enjoy scaring my son today, Sirius?” he asked standing by his side.

“He’s a bad influence,” Sirius limited himself to say, not exactly looking at his friend’s direction.

Remus raised his eyebrows, not really believing what he was hearing.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but… Who’s coming back to Hogwarts this September?” he pressed. “Who made sure that Lyra wasn’t in detention all the time?”

The two men kept looking at each other, no other words coming out of their mouths for they already knew the answers to all of the questions. It’s not that there was a good or a bad influence, but when it came to them, the Blacks always seemed to corrupt the Lupins.


	3. Chapter Three

The end of August came all too soon and while some of the people were going back to Hogwarts, even the ones who were supposed to have it finished, it wasn’t the case in the Black household. Instead, Alya and Lyra had decided that they had had enough of scholar experiences. For them, it was time to, finally, grow up and work on their career.

It wasn’t surprising when Alya chose to follow her father’s steps and joined the Aurors. She was fit for the job, focused in the task at hand and there was no doubt that she could live up to the expectations everyone was putting on her.

Lyra, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with that. She had valuable skills to do that job, but it never appealed to her. It didn’t matter how anyone told her that being an Auror while being a Legilimens would give her great ability and because of that special skill, she landed a job in the Department of Mysteries, becoming an Unspeakable.

Being the ever so proud dad that he was, Sirius couldn’t contain the smile on his face whenever he thought about it. It meant that he had done a good job on his own - something he had feared of not being able to - and that his girls had become, on their own, everything he ever wanted to them: loyal, rightful, intelligent and responsible. 

It was funny to think that they had become who they were since he could only think about them as the little girls who used to run all over the house, drawing on the walls and asking so many questions about everything that he couldn’t find a proper answer to all of it. If Sirius closed his eyes, he could still see them begging him to take them to the work with him, he could still see the mesmerized look they had whenever he did something to spoil them. It was hard to get rid of the memory of their beaming smiles and gleaming eyes every morning on father’s day. How they’d wake up earlier than him, pour cereal and milk in a bowl while attempting to pour juice in a glass without messing everything. He could still hear their soft steps leading to his room, the low giggles and hushed voices as they entered through the door and jumped on the bed, landing on top of him. Sirius couldn’t help himself but smile contently at the fact that nothing much had changed over the years. Alya and Lyra had grown up and their personalities had become more evident, but those mornings were still the same, except that now they could make a proper breakfast.

Maybe that was why Sirius found himself in his home office that last day of August, sitting behind his desk, looking intently at the picture his small family had taken in a sunny day they decided to go the beach last summer, before the war had started. His thoughts were too lost in reminiscence, his eyes looking for one photo to the other spread across the room, until his eyes caught the little indentation in one of the cabinets he had. A small laugh escaped his lips and he couldn’t help but remember that day.

 

* * *

_After an astonishingly long mission, all Sirius Black wanted was to get home safely, take a relaxing shower and be able to spend time with his daughters, thing he hadn’t been able to in a few days. He knew they were all moody and upset, but he also knew that, once they became older, they’d understand that everything he was doing was for the solely purpose of giving them a better world to live in. At the age of 5, however, Alya and Lyra Black didn’t seem to like this idea in the slight, but that was the price they had to pay for having a father who was one step closer of becoming the newest head of the Auror Office_ __and, alredy having in mind that his presence would be either too claimed or too ignored, Sirius had prepared himself, mentally, for the three of them. For the girls, he had gotten a gift for either of them, once again showing to the world how much he was spoiling them._ _ __

__The scene he was welcomed to certainly made him doubt he had entered the right house. Everything seemed to be the way it was when he left and even if he had some responsible adult looking over them, he didn’t expect anyone to know how to deal with those 5 year-old girls._ _ __

__Stepping into the living room, still perplexed with the soundless house, Sirius looked around, until his eyes met a brunette woman coming from the kitchen, a tray of cookies in her hands, and marched up to her, one eyebrow up as he looked confusingly at her._ _ __

__“Sirius!” she beamed once she put the tray down, her eyes finally landing on the young man a few steps away from her. “Didn’t hear you coming in. How are you?” she asked with a sincere smile to him, her features showing him how glad she was for his return._ _ __

__“Andromeda,” he said with a small smile, his hands reaching for one cookie only to be slapped away. “Hey,” he protested. “I thought we were in my house…?”_ _

__“Those are for the girls,” she said with a roll of eyes. “You are much too old for cookies and milk, Sirius.”_ _

_The Black man only shook his head and rolled his eyes. Andromeda was his favorite cousin, alright, but she wouldn’t take him seriously any time soon. Something about already being around when he was born, she had said, made her more responsible than him, according to the woman._

_“Where are they?”_

_“In your office,” she said dismissively, not bothering looking up as she heard his steps walking way and into the corridor that led to the room Sirius used as a home office._

_For most parents, finding their kids playing in their work place would be hell. Papers would be scattered to the floor, important datas would be lost, not to mention the possibility of them going through their work paper and using it to drawing, but for Sirius Black, none of it was of his concern. He made sure to spell-lock everything away, stuffed in the highest cabinet he had in there, because he knew a simple lock wouldn’t be able to keep his daughters away from anything._

_Softly, he opened the wooden door, careful to not make himself known, and his eyes caught sight of a very flustered Alya Black sitting in his chair, multi-colored crayons spread around the table, picking up the ringing phone. It should alarm him, but he knew no one important had this number, especially not from work. It could have been James or Remus, or even one of his friends who knew a little bit about muggle technology, trying to reach him._

_“Daddy’s office?” the girl’s childish voice answered, her little fingers gripping the crayon in her hands harder, her eyes squinted as she tried to understand what the person on the other line was saying. “No, daddy’s not here,” she replied with a roll of eyes, already having no patience. “No, you’re a little girl!” she screamed and slammed the phone back down before resuming her drawing duties._

_“Who was it?” With a small laugh, Sirius walked into the room, his eyes scanning it, not finding Lyra anywhere. She probably was back in her room or something of the kind._

_Alya’s head snapped up at the sound of her dad’s voice and the biggest smile she could produce graced her soft features, her eyes widening as she pushed the chair back and jumped down, her short legs propelling her in his direction._

_“Daddy, daddy, daddy!” the word rolled out of her tongue as if she had never said it before, only to stop when he knelt down in front of her with his arms open, waiting for her to jump into his embrace. “You’re back!”_

_“I am,” he said picking her up and spinning around, pulling happy shrieks out of her. “What are you doing?”_

_“I’m an Auror,” she said pointing to the table. “Just like you.”_

_That was the first time Sirius felt his heart swell up. He couldn’t stop the smile that came to his face, nor the warm feeling in his chest or the stinging sensation in his eyes. For the first time, he felt like he was doing a good job on them, like he wasn’t messing up and that they appreciated having him around._

_“Oh,” he cleaned his throat, trying to get rid of the lump that had formed. “And where is your sister?”_

_“Lya was a Death Eater. I put her in Azkaban,” she said with a small shrug, but finally concerning Sirius, who had furrowed his brows and looked intently at the blonde girl in his arms._

_“And where is it?” he asked already running to the door, worried something had happened to his other daughter._

_“It’s right there, daddy,” Alya said pointing to the cabinet on their left._

_For the first time, Sirius noticed the small knocks against the door and the muffled words coming out of it. Putting Alya down, he took a deep breath, walked up to the furniture and knelt down in front of it, turning the key in the lock._

_He wasn’t ready for what he saw once the door was opened. He knew the girls could get a little too carried away when playing, but he didn’t expect them to go this far, even more when they had Andromeda around them. There, in the cabinet, Lyra sat sideways, her back resting against the side of the wooden material and her little shoulders bumping against the door. Her hands were tied with duct tape and her mouth gagged with a t-shirt any of them owned._

_Desperately, Sirius pulled the girl out and freed her before bringing her closer to him, fully inspecting her in search of any bruises. Once he saw that she was perfectly fine, he pulled her in a tight hug, caressing her head and asking, over and over again, if she was fine, only to be reassured she was._

_Alya, still having a smile on her face, didn’t realize when Lyra was finally out of their father’s arms and tackled her to the ground, their tiny bodies tumbling down._

_“I will kill you!” Lyra bellowed, her breath labored and eyes wide. “That was not funny, Alya!”_

_Sirius sighed and hurried to them, putting the girls apart and shaking his head. He had missed those kind of confrontations._

 

* * *

Sirius’ thoughts were interrupted by the hushed whispers going on outside his door.

“Do you think he’s alright?” Alya asked, her head poking through the door to take a look at her father who, still, had his eyes fixed on the portrait he was holding.

“I guess…?” Lyra said back and followed her sister’s actions before realizing they had been caught.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Sirius said with a roll of eyes and set the frame down. It seemed like, lately, his mind was wandering off without his consent, throwing him into the memories he praised the most, making him relive everything. It was a good feeling, he knew it, but he couldn’t be too much lost into it. He still had many memories to make. “What are you two doing?”

The girls looked at each other and shrugged off. It should have been a sign to him that they were up to something, but his brain chose to ignore it and go along with the game they were playing, unknowingly.

“It kind of is our first day tomorrow,” Aly started while sitting on the desk top, her legs dangling.

“Yes…?”

“But we were wondering if it would be ok to go to Platform 9 ¾ and say goodbye to everyone,” Lya completed with the puppy eyes she had mastered years ago.

It seemed to be completely unfair how much those two had Sirius wrapped around their fingers. Since the day they were born, he knew it would be a problem. He deemed himself doomed from the moment those two opened their eyes and all he could see was blue, a beautiful, breath-taking cerulean blue instead of a stormy grey.

Only this time, he had to be strong. The girls were adults now and they had to deal with their own responsibilities, be it a hungover (it had happened before) or work.

“I’m sorry,” he shook his head. “You two are old enough to know that you can’t. It’s not like you’re asking me to skip school. When you don’t show up at work, it reflects on how they see you. You don’t want to start off badly, do you?”

Lyra opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to say something, but never finding any valid argument. She knew Sirius was right, but there had to be anything he could do to help them out.

“Aren’t you the head of the Auror’s Office?” Alya asked, her eyebrows up, implying that he had influence enough to do something about it.

“I am,” Sirius started. “And as your boss, Alya, I’m telling you that skipping a work day just because you want to say goodbye to your friends is not something you want to do. As for you, Lyra,” he turned to the brunette on his left side. “My hands are tied. You work in another department.”

Heaving a sigh, the girls leapt out of their seats in defeat. So far, there weren’t much upsides about being a grown up other than being able to make their own decisions.

“Tell you what,” Sirius said gaining their attention one more time. “I’ll let you out for one hour tomorrow, Aly, _if_ ,” he said before she could celebrate anything. “you can manage to do everything you’re supposed to until 10 am. Deal?”

“Deal!” the girl said way too fast.

“As for you, miss I’m too good to be an Auror,” he started turning to Lyra who rolled her eyes. “Regretting your decision already?”

“No,” she said with a shrug, for she knew he was trying to get under her skin. Sirius hadn’t taken too well the news that she had chose the Department of  Mysteries over working with him even after the girl told him it had nothing to do with him.

“Good,” he said with a small chuckle. “Because you’re going to have to live with this choice for as long as you don’t have any other job, but, since I’m feeling rather benevolent today, you can spend the night over at John’s,” he completed. “Only if you, _please_ , promise me to not utter a word about it whenever I’m in the room. Deal?”

“Deal!” she squealed running up the stairs, almost tripping over her feet, and disappearing into her room.

Sirius and Alya shook their heads at the same time, both of them amused at how little it took the Slytherin girl to squeal like a high school girl in those muggle movies.

“Are you ever going to be like that?” Sirius asked turning to Alya, a smirk playing on his face as he stared at her, waiting for her to slip up and assume something.

“Oh, hell no,” she said shaking her head vigorously. “I’d rather be put in Azkaban than acting like a fool like my poor sister.”

Sirius laughed at her wholeheartedly. He once had thought like that whenever he saw James running after Lily like a little puppy following his owner, begging for treats. He once thought that people in love were fools waiting to have their lives ruined too.


	4. Chapter Four

_There had to be a reason for Sirius picking that neighborhood, out of all places in the city, to live in, Marlene thought to herself the first time she had seen their new flat. It was far away from everything else in the world, in a highly wooded whereabouts, something she was not expecting to come from her, at the time, boyfriend. Now, one year later, she understood his reasons: there were barely any people living there. You could see a few houses on the other block, but other than that, it seemed like the perfect getaway for a newly wedded couple._

T _he stillness of that morning was lulling Sirius in a deeper slumber, so deep he was oblivious to everything happening around him. The sounds coming from the kitchen, the heating oil popping while the bacon was being fried, the annoying engine of the blender working and the occasional bump of pans as Marlene did her best to make the perfect birthday breakfast._

_There was a semi sunlight coming through the open curtain in the living room, the lazy glow from the cloudy day reflecting off the tv set, barely seen particles of dust floating around the air, dancing in the gentle breeze coming from the outside. November had only started and the temperature had dropped significantly, but it wasn't enough to let the windows closed just yet. Sirius had always hated the idea of sleeping in a complete sealed room. Something about feeling like it was suffocating, like he needed to feel the air hitting his bare skin._

_And that was what woke him up on that morning of November 3rd, the first time he'd celebrate his birthday after getting married. It seemed wild to think that Sirius Black, among all people, had settled down and found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but no one could deny the spark in his eyes anytime he caught sight of Marlene McKinnon entering the room. It was like he was blind to anyone else and his vision tunneled and nothing else existed. He loved her and after trying to deny it so vehemently, he was tired of hiding his feelings. He knew it was a reciprocal feeling, he was very aware of it. Marlene posed as someone who was above everyone else, like she didn't need anyone and while half of that was true, she found in Sirius someone she could be her true self, someone she could turn to when in need. They had been oblivious to all that, hiding under layers of disdain towards each other, but it took only a few hookups to finally understand that they weren't much different from each other._

_Stretching out and suppressing a yawn, Sirius threw his duvet aside, his barefoot touching the wooden floor, his naked torso shivering in contact with the cool air coming from outside. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, the young Black made his way from the bedroom to the kitchen, silently walking over piles of clothes careless discarded on the floor._

_The flat smelled deliciously, that he was sure of. The scent of bacon made its way to his nostrils and Sirius smiled inwardly, finally reaching his destination, his arms snaking around Marlene's waist, his head dropping to the curve where her neck met her shoulders, a small sigh escaping his lips as he kissed the tender skin he was so fond of._

_"Good morning," his voice sounded huskier in the morning, something Marlene found very hard to resist._

_"What are you doing up so early?" her neck had craned to the side granting him further access. His kisses felt like fire on her skin. Even the smallest touches gave her a surge of energy, like every pore of her skin had been awakening after a very long sleep. And it didn't matter how many times Sirius had kissed her or touched her, Marlene would never get used to it. It was like she was an addict, needing higher doses of a specific drug._

_"The curtains were open and suddenly the room became too clear for me," he mumbled, his lips turning into a lopsided smile. "What are you doing?"_

_"A lot of things you shouldn't know about," she turned in his arms, her eyes finally meeting his. There was in glint in them, despite his still sleepy state, and she could tell it was warm and welcoming. "But I'm not telling you."_

_Sirius laughed and shook his head. It wasn't abnormal to find her in this position, a spatula in her hands, being trapped between his body and the counter sink. It was a daily occurrence, a routine he would never get enough. In those early hours of the morning, he finally felt like he had some kind of purpose, like his life had finally found its place in the world. And each day he wanted nothing more than to just go home to see her curled up against their couch, several parchments spread around the living room while she worked herself up over the deadline the Daily Prophet had given her._

_"Don't you think I can work my way around it?" he winked, his smile never leaving his face as he saw her features scrunch up._

_"Not if you stay in your human form," she shook her head. Marlene should have been used to it by that time. Whenever she tried to cook something to surprise him, there was Padfoot walking around the flat, his tail swinging from side to side, dog fur everywhere. He'd sniff around for a few seconds and come back to normal, a smug smile plastered on his face as he told her everything she was preparing. While some of the time Sirius transforming into a dog was cool, when it came to these occasions, she hated it. Marlene was tired of him ruining her surprises. "And yes, this is me forbidding you to do so." She completed._

_Despite his previous thoughts, however, Sirius decided to listen to her. He knew she would, most likely, kill him if he did it so it was only a matter of self preservation._

_"I'll just sit here," he started pointing to the chair at the small table they had in the kitchen. "While you finish the bacon and the pancakes."_

_"You're not worth of my effort, Black," she shook her head and sighed._

_"What? I smelled the bacon from the room," he complained, his hands going up in a surrender motion._

_"And what's your excuse for the pancakes?"_

_"Every time there's bacon, there're pancakes."_

_She turned her back to the stove, her eyes scanning over his face suspiciously. She was going to accept that excuse for the time being, but there was an obvious warning behind her cerulean eyes that he could not miss. Had he tried anything else, she'd end his life, even if it were his birthday._

_"Why did I even marry you, McKinnon?" he shook his head, an amused undertone in his voice._

_"You claim you love me," she shrugged back, her eyes already averted to the food being prepared. "Having second thoughts?"_

_"Not really loving or feeling loved in the past ten minutes," he answered back. "No happy birthday wishes so far, but tons of death threats."_

_Marlene chuckled and rolled her eyes. She knew he was an overdramatic person, even more in the mornings, but having Sirius complaining about lack of 'happy birthday' wishes, when he had been awake for less than 30 minutes was something she didn't know he was capable of._

_"Only and exclusively because you wanted to ruin my plan," she retorted. "But if you wait just a couple of minutes, you'll get it."_

_And a couple of minutes was all it took for her to finish everything, float the dishes around the kitchen and place them in the table, Sirius' mind already forgetting everything else when he saw the food in front of him. It was a real treat, a small feast for him with everything he liked the most._

_The young Black flashed a smile towards the blonde girl, his arms reaching out and closing around her waist, pushing her to him. She wasn't expecting the tug and found herself falling on his lap. A small chuckle left her lips and she sighed in content. They had never been the usual couple, with romantic dates and public declarations of love, but there were special times that called for that. It seemed to make those events even more personal._

_Marlene's eyes searched for Sirius' grey ones and she smiled. Everything around them seemed so out of place, so wrong and dangerous. She was scared of what was to come, but when she looked into his eyes, tempestuous and calm at the same time, she felt her worries disappear and her heart race, but in a complete different way._

_"What?" he asked curiously._

_"I have a surprise," her eyes moved to the other side of the room, searching for something._

_"I thought this," he motioned to the food in front of them. "Was the surprise."_

_"Another one, then." Marlene disengaged herself from his arms, her feet leading her to the writing desk on the far corner of the living room. She reached something behind it and went back to Sirius, a small white box in her hands. "Open it."_

_His fingers grasped roughly the small cardboard box, untying the handmade bow and opening the lid hurriedly, peering into it eagerly._

_"Marls...?" he confusingly raised one eyebrow, his hand pulling a soft tiny yellow sock from it. "What...?"_

_"It means exactly what you're thinking it means," she said, her breath stuck in her throat, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She was beyond scared of his reaction, his wordless self worrying her._

_The quietness in the flat seemed to weight down on Marlene's shoulders. She could feel her heart beating erratically and the color leaving her face as she waited for Sirius to say something, anything at all._

_Sirius, on the other hand, didn't know what to say. He was swirling in a mix of emotions, drowning in feelings, and each time he went to the surface, it wouldn't last and a new wave of wordlessness would engulf him, bringing him down, making him seem lost to the world around him. Finally, as if some miracle had happened and he had clung to a life-saving buoy, he blinked furiously and a smile broke through his face, his big hand closing the small sock around it as he pulled Marlene into him, his lips finding hers in a euphoric kiss._

_There could be a war ranging on outside, but, for the moment, it could wait._

* * *

****Sirius awoke with a start, his heart beating alarmingly fast and his head snapping from side to side until he realized where he was and that all of it was nothing more than his subconscious mind trying, once more, to crush his feeling and rip his heart out of his chest. Another year had come and gone and another time it had succeeded.

He closed his eyes and let go against his bed again, his weight falling on the soft surface with a deaf thump, and ran his hands over his face, feeling the wet patches under his eyes that never seemed to leave this permanent state. 19 years since that memory had happened, but it liked to come back and haunt him every birthday.

The noise downstairs startled him once more on that Tuesday morning and he remembered that, unlike the dream, he had two girls waiting for him in the kitchen, their smiles welcoming him. They didn't know the struggle that was every November 3rd. They didn't know how hard it was to get off the bed after that dream that plagued him, but he didn't care. He would, once again, put on a brave façade, conjure the brightest smile he could and walk down the stairs to greet them. After all, those girls were the only happy thing he had in his life and he couldn't bear to watch them upset over him.

And there, one floor below him, Alya and Lyra Black rushed around the kitchen, their coordinated movements preventing them from any accident that could have happened. They had a system that should not be messed with, something that had been working perfectly for years.

"Did you set the table?" Lyra asked from the oven, her eyes moving to her right, watching Alya standing in the doorway that led to the dining room, a long table prepared behind her.

"Yep," she said with a genuine smile, walking to the fridge and taking a jar of juice from it. "I think he should be down any minute. Everything ready?"

Lyra sighed deeply and prayed the cake she had in the oven was finally baked. Slowly, she crouched down and opened the front door, her fingers crossed and hoping for the best. She wasn't disappointed when she tested it with a fork, it coming off clean. The girl turned the oven off, her hands protected with cooking gloves, and set the cake on the counter. By the time they were done with breakfast, it would have cooled down enough.

The steps on the staircase did not go unnoticed by the girls, who tried their best to contain their excited giggles. It wasn't a surprise anymore, but there was no way they wouldn't act like it wasn't.

"Happy birthday!" They bellowed as soon as Sirius walked into the dining room, his lips turning into an instant smile when he saw everything they had done. In those moments, he always realized that it wouldn't matter how many times his mind tried to put him down, Alya and Lyra would always be there to pull him back up, even if they didn't know it.

"Are you feeling old yet?" Alya beamed dancing on the balls of her feet, an easy smile on her face. She was kidding, right?

"Aly..." Lyra rolled her eyes but gave out a small laugh, her hands going over her mouth trying to contain it. "Any plans for today?"

"Well," Sirius started, his eyes moving from one girl to the other. "After a long and exhausting day at work, I intend to spend the rest of the night with my two favorite girls. Any objections?"

By the way they looked at him, it was obvious that they didn't.

* * *

****There were papers everywhere, people walking up and down and voices echoing throughout the atrium. Sirius walked hurriedly to the elevator, not paying much attention to anything around him. He barely saw James running to catch up, yelling his name in a feeble attempt of drawing Black's attention.

"You're barely 39 and already showing signs of deafness, Padfoot?" the black haired man asked, his arm clasping around his friend's shoulder in a side hug, a smiling forming on his face.

Sirius just rolled his eyes. He was used to the jokes by this point, having to deal with it ever since they all became friends, and just shrugged it off with a small smile despite his previous reaction.

"I'm not the one with bald spots in my head, Prongs."

The sound coming from James couldn't be classified as humanly possible. His hands darted to his head, running through it a few times before realizing he was being played. There was nothing out of place or missing. The two men smiled at each other.

"Lily asked me to give you this," James reached inside his jacket, an envelope coming out of it. "She found it going through her stuff."

Sirius opened the white packet carefully to not rip anything. A huge smile adorned his face as soon as he saw the picture in his hands. In focus, he saw a younger version of himself, a carefree expression on his face. By his side, stood a very beautiful ginger, her hair down, blowing with the wind. They were both laughing, their eyes closed. In the back, it was possible to see the outlines of Hogwarts in the distance. He turned the picture around and recognized Lily's handwriting.

_Sirius,_

_Found it while going through my school things and thought you should have this one. I'm tired of seeing your face all around my house while you have so few pictures of me. It's only fair, don't you think?_

_Happy birthday and I hope I see you later. No excuses!_

_Lily xx_

"Your wife loves me," he said turning his eyes back to James with a smug smile.

"Tell me about it," Potter rolled his eyes.

There was nothing to be said about it. Lily and Sirius had been friends way before she accepted going out with James. Their relationship started when they were 14, both of them too annoyed with their families. Black had been, once again, mistreated by the Blacks while the red headed woman had had another argument with her sister. The similarities between them were what brought them together, but as the time went by, they realized that their friendship was deeper than that.

They parted ways once they reached their destination. Sirius turned right and entered his office only to find a few more birthday cards in it. He went through all of them, smiling as he read the kind words of his friends and colleagues. Until he reached the last one.

It was a completely white paper, no signature, no recognizable handwriting, nothing. In it, there were just six words written in a black ink.

_Wish you the happiest birthday ever._

If it were all that, he wouldn't give it a second thought, but there was another line under it that sent a shiver up his spine.

_How are the girls?_


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I’d like to thank you all for reading To Build a Home this far! It’s been amazing, honestly. I’d also like to say that there are going to be some chapters that I’m gonna focus on the twins and their relationships with other characters, ok? Hope you like it as much as the Blackinnon bits.
> 
> Just so you know, there will be a few new characters as the series goes on and let me introduce you the awesome Suki Waterhouse as Alya Black
> 
> Love you all!
> 
> P.S.: There’s some Portuguese in the end, but don’t worry. I’ll post the translation after everything.

For days, Sirius felt like his every move was being watched. He wouldn’t do anything until being 100% sure that no one was following him or that his daughters were perfectly fine. He inquired them countless time if they had seen anyone near the house or any suspicious looking person crossing their way, but they only shook their heads and looked at him worriedly.

Moments after receiving that strange card, Black went on a crusade trying to find Alya and Lyra everywhere. The blonde girl was easy to find. She was just down the hall, shoulder deep buried in paperwork she had forgotten to do and as soon as she saw her father marching up to her, she had a very clear vision of him scolding her for doing so. Alya was taken by surprise when he tackled her in a hug asking over and over again if she was fine and if anything had happened on the way over.

She had never seen him so distressed and it kind of set alarms in her mind. Had something happened that she wasn’t aware of? And when he asked, his tone urgent, if she had seen Lyra, her heart started beating frantically. The girls had parted ways when they left the house. Lyra had said something about heading downtown first while Alya had gone directly to the Ministry.

That was not the answer Sirius wanted to hear, however. He let go of the blonde and ran as fast as he could, his feet thumping against the floor, all eyes averting to his direction, but he didn’t stop until he reached the 9th level, his eyes looking for someone, anyone, who could tell him where his daughter was. The black-tiled walls, that seemed to faze many, did nothing to him and as soon as he went through the black door by the end of the corridor, he stopped. There were more twelve doors in front of him, but he didn’t know which one to open.

Taking a deep breath, trying quiet down his shaking bones, Sirius leaned against the wall and waited for someone to cross his way. Fortunately, he only had to wait for a few minutes until his eyes met Lyra’s, a worried expression adorning her face and a sudden feeling of urgency when she felt her father collide his body against her in a hug.

They were all fine, completely unharmed and out of danger. If so, what in the holy hell had that message meant?

After that day, the three of them decided it would be safer, and less stressful, if they went to the Ministry together. Alya and Lyra found it was easier to keep an eye on Sirius and prevent him from freaking out. Sirius thought it would be easier to protect them if it were necessary. The war was over, but who knew what dangers could be lurking in the next corner. But over a month went on with nothing happening. No notes, no contact, no threats showing up at all. All of a sudden, life went back to the way it was before.

Of course there were nights that even the smallest noise made Sirius jump out of the bed like it was burning his skin, his eyes wide open, hand gripping his wand tightly, heart hammering against his ribcage as his breath worked to get back to normal. He felt like he was back to the old days, a constant danger looming over his head. And that was one of those nights. His brain working fastly as he tried to figure out where the noise had come from before darting towards it.

With his senses heightened, Sirius made his way through the dark corridor in the second store of the house, his feet light against the floor, tuning in any sound that could be made. There was nothing, not even the light snores coming from Alya’s room. Had he not known that whenever she was too tired she slept like a rock, he’d be worried to the point of no return, but just to make sure everything was fine, he slowly opened the door and smiled when he saw the girl was, indeed, safe and sound.

Needless to say, he couldn’t go back to sleep; the tossing and turning were always too stressful for him, making every position 10 times more uncomfortable, just like his following day at work where a huge pile of paper needed his undivided attention, even if his mind was set on spacing out and his eyes not focusing.

“You have a minute?” James asked suddenly, his head poking through Sirius’ office door, a small smile on his face. Black just nodded, his head finally looking up, his back relaxed against his chair as soon as his best friend walked in. He needed a real distraction at that moment. “Two things,” the Potter man started. “First of all, you look like crap. I know you’ve got a lot on your mind right now, but let’s be honest here: it’s taking a huge toll on you.”

Sirius let out a deep sigh and shook his head. He was tired of having people saying he should relax and let go, and while he did want that to happen, his mind wouldn’t let him.

“I know you’re worried, Padfoot, and so am I,” James started once again, sitting in front of his friend, a concerned look in his face. “But believe me when I say it, once more: there wasn’t anyone following you and/or the girls. I’ve personally back tracked every move you’ve made the past weeks and that note wasn’t sent by any Death Eater or former Voldemort follower.”

“Then who would’ve sent this?” Sirius asked, his hands running through his hair and pulling at the roots. He didn’t know what to believe anymore. He, so desperately, wanted everything to go back to normal, like he and everyone he knew deserved. They had gone through enough already.

“I don’t know,” James admitted with a shrug. All kind of investigation they could have thought of led to nothing. As far as they were concerned, it was a sincere birthday wish from someone they didn’t know and nothing else. “And I don’t think you should dwell too much on it, Sirius. Let’s just make sure the protection spells around your house are working properly and move on, my friend.”

Sirius nodded. He knew James wouldn’t just say those things to make him feel better. If he had led the investigation and come to the conclusion that no one was after him and his family, then it was the truth.

“What’s your second thing?” he asked, finally letting go.

“Oh, here’s the newspaper you asked me,” James said as he dumped a thick stack of paper on the wood desk, moving pictures scattered the front page. “And I’m not your secretary, mate. Next time, you go pick it up by yourself.”

Sirius looked from James to the newspaper in front of him a few times, confusion adorning his features. For starters, he had no idea what James was talking about; he hadn’t asked for anything. Second, he couldn’t read a single word written.

“What’s that?” his eyes darted to the man in front of him, seriously doubting his sanity.

“What do you mean?” James shot back. “It’s the Brazilian wizarding newspaper you asked me. You know, from the note you left in my desk.”

For a brief moment, both men looked at each other intently, trying to understand what kind of exchange had happened. Neither of them, however, had the time to say anything as there was another knock on the door and in went Shacklebolt, his tall figure filling the room.

“Bad timing?” the Minister asked looking between the two friends, his eyes landing on the newspaper on the desk. “Oh, do you mind…?”

Sirius picked it up and gave it to the man without a single thought. If he knew what any of that said, maybe it could help them figuring out what the hell was going on in that Department, where notes seemed to come from nowhere.

“Why would I ask you for that, James?” Sirius finally asked, his eyebrows furrowed. “It’s not like I speak Portuguese.”

“You went to Brazil a couple of times,” James shrugged. “I figured you did…”

It was insane. Nothing made sense anymore. James swore that was what the note asked for while Sirius swore he left no note at all. And even if he did, why would he even ask for a foreign newspaper? Diplomacy was not one of his concerns and he didn’t know anything about the wizarding community in Brazil other than the school they attended to was in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest.

“As I imagined,” Shacklebolt said folding the paper in two. Both men looked at him curiously and he just shook his head. “Just talking to myself.” He dismissed. “They’re having some problems with deforestation in the Amazon, each time they’re getting closer and closer to Castelobruxo’s grounding.”

James and Sirius just kept staring at the man. If there was anyone who needed to know a bit about problems from other countries, it would be Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic of the United Kingdom.

* * *

The buzz from the pub was welcomed by the group of people that entered the Three Broomsticks that Saturday afternoon. After a long day of work and studies, they could finally relax and enjoy some free time.

All around the bar, there could be seen dozens of students talking and laughing, everything to get away from the school work they had on the back of their minds. Each table held a different conversation, some a bit more contained, others louder. Madame Rosmerta rushed behind the counter, doing her best to serve everyone. To say that the bar was packed, was an understatement. Some had courage enough to form a line outside, but no one seemed to be in a hurry to leave the cozy atmosphere.

In one corner in particular, a double table was being used by none other than Harry Potter. Even though his days as the Wizarding World Saviour were long gone, people still seemed to pine over him, trying any kind of interaction with the black haired young man and despite him not liking that kind of attention, all his friends bugged him about it.

That day was not different. Everywhere they had gone, there seemed to be a lot of people following his every move, even more now that he had defeated Voldemort. For those who spent six years with him in Hogwarts, Harry wasn’t much of an attraction anymore.

“They’ll get over it,” Harry had said with a shrug as they walked down the main street of Hogsmeade, but a few hours had gone since then and nothing had happened.

At that moment, in the pub, they were finally able to talk to each other without having anyone gawking at them. It should be considered a miracle.

“I’m telling you,” a red-headed girl said, her arms going everywhere. Maybe she had had too much Butterbeer so far. “Having people stopping you in the middle of the hallway to ask you what it’s like to be Harry Potter’s sister is not something you’d want.” Her green eyes glistened, unfocusing.

Lyra, by the girl’s side, took a hold of her drink and pushed it away only to be stopped by the younger Potter.

“I think you’ve had enough, Ivy,” she said with a smile, trying to not start anything. Ivy Potter had always been a good girl, perfect grades, impeccable behavior, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she was Lily Evans’ daughter: her fierce attitude and sharp tongue made sure of that. Being three years younger than her worldwide famous brother wasn’t much of a problem. She never cared about the attention, anyway. All she ever wanted was to be her own person and live her own life without having others around her, watching her every move.

With a single nod, the girl agreed and let Lyra take the bottle away from her. She was aware of her drinking limit and she was not going to push it.

From the other side of the table, Alya laughed at the girl, shaking her head slightly. She really wanted to see how far Ivy would have gone and how crazy she would’ve been. That would be a sight for sore eyes.

“Well, at least people don’t stop you to ask of your dad is having an off day.” The blonde girl mumbled. She had tried to act nonchalantly, but everyone could see she was worried. One look at any of the twins and it was noticeable.

“About that,” Harry started gaining the attention of everyone in the table. “What is actually going on with him? I think I’ve never seem Sirius so distressed in all my life.”

“I don’t know,” the girl said with a sigh. “I guess all the stress he suppressed all these years is finally catching up on him,” she shook her head.

“Like some kind of PTSD?” Hermione asked from her end, earning a handful of confused looks. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” she clarified. The whole Wizarding World really needed to catch on mental health.

“It’s possible,” John chimed in from beside Lyra. He had thought about it himself, but never felt comfortable enough bringing it up, not because he felt like he didn’t have that kind of closeness with the Black family, but because he was aware that not everyone was able to understand it. “I mean, he has been living through traumatic events after traumatic events.”

And the tension in the table was finally present. It was thick and palpable, noticeable for anyone paying the slightest attention to where the group of friends was sitting.

“What are you trying to imply?” Alya asked, her eyes squinting, her tone sharp.

“Nothing,” John shot back, his eyes dancing around. That was what he was trying to avoid. “I’m not implying anything, Alya, but isn’t it just how it has been his whole life?”

The girl looked at him dead in the eye for a few moments. He could say all he wanted, swear he wasn’t implying anything, but she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that he was judging whatever it was that Sirius was going through and she was tired; tired of people looking at him suspiciously, like he’d lost his mind, like he was wasting time and resources on his illusions.

“Look,” she started once again, everyone holding their breaths in anticipation. “You can say all you want, Lupin, but once you start talking about my dad, don’t expect me to keep it to myself. My dad  _is not_  one of those crazy people that should be locked away in St. Mungus. He’s perfectly fine the way he is and I’m not going to let you say anything like that again, you hear me?”

All eyes seemed to be moving from Alya to John. Everyone knew they had never had the best relationship ever, but that small argument between them was something else; John didn’t know what to do. He had not meant anything of the sorts of Alya’s speech. He was well aware that Sirius was a very lucid person, healthy and perfectly mental capable. Perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything. People still didn’t understand that a normal person could suffer from any kind of mental illness.

“Aly, I don’t think that’s what he meant,” Lyra started with a sigh. She was the first one to say anything, all the attention turned to her.

“Are you going to defend him?” The blonde’s eyes widened, her head shaking in disbelief.

“I’m not defending anyone, Aly,” her twin had now crossed her arms over her chest, not believing Alya could be so narrow-minded. “No one said anything about dad being crazy, ok? You’re, as always, jumping to conclusions. Dad did grow up in an abusive home, he lost mom, he lost friends and spent a whole year on the run, never knowing where he’d be by the end of the day. Those kind of things leave scars in a person.”

No one knew what to say. All eyes were averted to the table top, breaths the only sound heard around them. In a split second, Alya got up from her chair, the wood scrapping against the floor causing all eyes to look at her, and darted from the pub. Lyra, on the other hand, just watched as her sister walked away from them, no looking back, as if she had stabbed her.

* * *

The sun was shining mercilessly with not a single cloud in the sky, but it wasn’t enough to get the people out of the street; it was mid-December and the countdown to Christmas was coming to an end faster than anything. Up and down, it was possible to see people carrying countless bags in their hands, something usual for the biggest shopping area in Latin America.

São Paulo was the biggest city throughout the country and that street in particular, 25 de Março, was known for all the goods that were sold for a very lower price than anywhere else. It was why it looked almost like an anthill, full of people from all around after gifts for the whole family, most likely.

And despite the hot weather and the pushes and shoves, there was a figure dressed in a black hoodie, their head down, walking hurriedly through the mass of people, body almost pressed against the wall, avoiding any kind of physical contact. The figure turned right, exiting the busy street, and kept walking without looking back until it finally reached the Mercado Municipal – known to the locals as Mercadão -, an old building that ever since 1933 worked as a warehouse. It wasn’t much better than the streets when it came to the number of people in there, but at least you could hide from the sun.

The figure, once again, walked mindlessly through the aisles until stopping in one in particular, in the far end of the building. It was possible to see another person in front of them, a black mop of hair peeking out from the white cap.

“ _Conseguiu?_ ” the new person asked. It was possible to hear a faint accent in the tone, something that was not surprise to the hooded person, who just nodded their head and smiled.

“ _Foi um pouco mais difícil dessa vez, mas deu tudo certo._ ”

The person in the white cap smiled, their hand reaching inside their jeans pocket and pulling out some crumbled bills and gave it to their hooded friend.

“ _Daqui dois dias no Brás_ ,” White Cap murmured before walking away.

* * *

_(”Did you do it?”_  
“It was a little harder this time, but everything turned out fine”  
“In two days at Brás”)


	6. Chapter Six

It’s funny how history repeats itself. That was what John thought to himself as soon as he entered his room that Christmas’ Eve and came face to face with a very deep in thought Lyra Black. She was sitting on his bed, her feet dangling from the side, her hands supporting her weight back, her head tilted back and eyes closed. She looked worried, stressed and full of everything surrounding her. There was a party going on downstairs, but all she wanted was to be by herself for the time being.

And that was what triggered John’s memory, reminding him of the time it had been him on her place, the first Christmas he had to go through without his mom. He felt so overwhelmed, so sick of everyone trying to act like nothing was wrong and giving him reassuring looks that all he wanted to do was being alone.

_**~*~** _

_The festive decoration was set up everywhere; there was mistletoe in almost every doorway, enchanted snow falling from the ceiling and people enjoying themselves. Nothing was left behind: there were food, drinks and even videogames for those who wanted and knew how to play it._

_John Lupin was oblivious to all that, though. He didn’t notice the music blasting through the speakers, not even the happy looks everyone had on. He overlooked all of it; neglecting everything which could possibly make him feel a little better._  

_He didn’t want to think about any of this, about how he felt completely hopeless and the days that would come without his mom by his side. It was impractical, though, as every single detail of his daily routine reminded him of her, her warming smile, her kind eyes and the soft tone she used when she needed to comfort him._

_That Christmas party was the main reason why John spent the most of the night on his own, outside the Black’s house, sitting on a chaise longue next to the pool. When he heard the door being opened, he flinched in surprise, but didn’t turn to face whoever was._

_“Holy shit, it’s freaking cold out here.” He heard as soon as the door was closed._

_Instantly, a small smile appeared on his lips and John unconsciously straightened up his posture on the chair, looking up at Lyra as she approached him._

_“Hey.” He muttered when she sat by his side – way too close, with her leg touching his entirely._

_She ignored his greeting. “Why are you here?”_

_John shrugged and looked away from her. “I don’t know. I guess I don’t want to celebrate anything.”_

_He heard her sighing deeply by his side and felt her hand seizing his knee, slightly. “I don’t want it either, but you shouldn’t isolate yourself from me, John.”_

_“I am not isolating myself, Lya.” He shook his head. “I just want to stay away from it all. I’m not in a party mood.”_

_“Are you ever?” she gave him a small smile which he reattributed, but not for long. “John, listen up: I know you miss her. Believe me, I miss her too, like crazy. I know things are changing pretty fast and this is getting pretty fucked up, but you shouldn’t be here by yourself.” Lyra said and placed her other hand on his cheek, locking her eyes on his. “Everyone is in there, having a good time and wondering where you are. Alya is an exception, but she’s trying to overcome her issues towards you.”_

_“She is not.” John chuckled a bit and nodded._

_“She’s just jealous of you because you’re my best friend, but we’re not discussing this right now. Let’s focus on what I’m trying to say.”_

_“Which is…?” he raised his eyebrows at her._

_“Come with me and stay with all of us for the rest of the night.” She pouted. “Please.”_

_John took a good look at the back yard before glaring at her once again. “I don’t know.”_

_“I promise I won’t get you drunk this time.” Lyra chuckled a bit with the memory of the last time she tried to take John to a party with her._

_“Oh wow, I feel calmer now.” He joked and smiled a bit._

_“Hey, that’s good. You weren’t even smiling when I came over here.” She poked him on the side with her elbow. “Come on in with me. Please.”_

_The boy didn’t move and Lya poked him once again on his shoulder with her index finger. “Please, John. I won’t leave your side.”_

_He took a deep breath and nodded with his head. “Okay.” He answered, simply, and stood up._

_He offered one of his hands to her and Lyra took it, getting on her feet by his side. Before he could let go of her and walk up to the house, though, she stood on his personal space, toe to toe, with her entire body towards him. She looked up at him with a small and atypical shy smile up on her face and a suspicious brightness on her eyes. The brunette girl cupped his face with both of her hands and got on the tip of her toes; her stormy blue eyes locked on his hazel ones._

_“I want to give you a little gift before we get in.” She whispered. “I want you to hold on to this when you think of this year, okay? Get rid of all the rest and keep only the good memories you, me and… this kiss.”_

_Lyra closed the distance between them and captured his lips with hers, tenderly. Her hands shyly made their way to his hair, grasping it strongly as if she had waited way too long to do it, as she felt John’s arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer. She let out a low sigh when she felt his taste of peppermint chocolate coffee inside her mouth and quickly made the kiss into a make out._

_John’s heart was racing way too fast, his hands grasping her floral dress tightly and his head was completely and entirely empty; there was not a single thing on his mind, not even the absence of his mom or the days to come, not even his worries about his father crossed his mind as he seized Lyra on his arms. Suddenly she was everything and John realized with no surprise, he’d rather her to be nothing else._

**_~*~_ **

Much like how she had done to him years back, John walked up to the girl, his body standing directly in front of her before she realized someone else had entered the room. In the dim light, he took the time to study her features, her eyelashes gently touching her cheeks, the small wrinkles on her forehead indicating she was deep in thought and, therefore, oblivious to the world around her; her beautiful blue eyes rolling behind her closed eyelids and every single imperfection she could ever have. John didn’t care about those; those were part of who Lyra was and he was madly deeply in love with her, all flaws aside.

With a small sigh, he sat by her side on the bed, the matress dipping and finally making the girl realize she wasn’t alone anymore. Had it been any other person, she’d probably skin them alive, but she knew there was only one person crazy enough to disturb her. Lyra opened her eyes, a small smile played on her lips as soon as she caught sight of John leaning against his left side, taking a better look at her.

“Why are you here?” he was holding back a chuckle and suddenly the same memory rushed back to her mind, her eyes lighting up.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I guess I don’t want to celebrate anything.”

Both of them looked at each other, their smiles getting bigger as soon as that small exchanged happened. It was a really important memory. It was when they finally realized how much they meant to each other, but it was also the moment where the awkwardness had started. For what felt like a really long time, they didn’t know how to act around each other, only making it more obvious to everyone else how deeply they had feelings for one another. Thank Merlin they had overcome that.

“You wanna talk about it?”

Lyra glanced around and nodded. She wanted to talk about everything that had been going on, she only didn’t know how to begin. She desperately wanted for everything to be over, she thought everything would go back to normal as soon as the war had ended, but that was when she realized how naïve she had been; things would never go back to the normal. She didn’t even know what being normal felt like, never had.

She never met her mom and sometimes she wanted to blame it on Marlene, as it would be easier to feel anger towards her. Why had she gone to visit her family that night? Why didn’t she stay hidden like the rest of them? Why did she leave them? Why did she leave  _her_? And then, as if losing her real mother wasn’t enough, she lost the closest second mother figure she ever had. Of course she would always have Lily to turn to, but Dorcas was the one who always seemed to understand her the best, knowing exactly what kind of things she needed to hear. Growing up hadn’t been easy, but she had managed it even with all the barriers life had thrown at her.

Then why now that everything should be going smoothly, why now did everything have to go tumbling down once more?

Instead of voicing all her thoughts, she just smiled sadly at John, tucking her legs under her and leaning her head against his chest, listening intently to the sound of his heart beating against his ribcage, syncing her breaths with his. John circled his arms around her, pulling her closer to him, their bodies touching entirely, no movements being made except for the rise and fall of their chests.

They couldn’t tell exactly how much time they spent on that position; it could have been minutes or hours, immersed in the presence of each other, taking solace from their rhythmically synced heart beats, as if they were one.

“I don’t know what else to think,” was the first thing Lyra said, her voice no louder than a whisper. She unleashed herself out of his warm hug and looked at his eyes, her stormy blue eyes meeting his peaceful whiskey-colored ones.

“About what?”

“About everything,” she sighed. “All I see is my dad trying to live his life as if nothing had ever happened to him, but at the same time I can see how he’s feeling like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. To top it all, there’re all these people looking at him and thinking he’s finally losing it. And what if he is? What if he’s gone so into this post-traumatic thing you were talking about that now he can’t turn back?” Her breaths came out uneven, her eyes red from holding back tears.

John took a deep breath and pulled her into him again, his hand going up and down her back in a soothing way. He couldn’t remember a time where she had felt so helplessly like that. She always had been the strong one, the one to pull him back together. At that moment, he silently made a promise to never let her feel that way again.

“He can turn back, babe,” John more whispered than anything. “Your dad only needs help and support. You remember when my mom died and I had those horrible panic attacks where I’d wake up screaming in the middle of the night?” she nodded. “And how I got better with the right kind of help and support from everyone?” when she nodded again, he smiled. “That’s what your dad needs right now. All kind of help, all kind of support and some distraction. I don’t know, but maybe he needs some long and well deserved vacation.”

Lyra looked at her boyfriend in awe. She was never disappointed in trusting on him with her problems. He always seemed to know what to say or how to act, something that never ceased to amaze the girl.

“How do you do it” she was looking up at him, her eyes glistening.

“Do what?” 

“You always know what to say to make me feel better,” she smiled. “Every time.”

“And here was I thinking that you’re the one who always say the right thing to pull me back together,” John chuckled. There was no denying that those two completed each other. It was visible to anyone who took the smallest look at them.

Smiling inwardly, Lyra reached up and sat down on the bed before straddling the boy, her arms snaking around his neck as his hands rested on her waist.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he whispered back, his head leaning in, his lips slightly brushing against hers before she took advantage of her position and captured his lips, her hands, as always, grasping his hair as if it were what she needed to keep herself grounded.

* * *

John was right. All Sirius needed was involved taking a few days off and some distraction. That was why Lyra and Alya were always locked away in their rooms, whispering back and forth, trying to come up with a plan to – finally -  find a girlfriend for their dad. They had been pushing it aside for too long and now they couldn’t hold it back anymore.

Of course Sirius continued oblivious to all of that. Sure, he suspected something was going on between the girls, but he figured it must have been a girl problem or something else, something that he couldn’t be of help.

“Ok, so you think any of these would go out with him?” Alya asked looking down at the list of names they had written down. She couldn’t deny that they had come up with a good quantity of names.

“Are you kidding me?” Lyra rolled her eyes. “Have you seen the way women look at him when he walks by? Dad hasn’t lost his charm yet.”

Both girl looked at each other and shook their heads, laughing. They were well aware that Sirius Black made heads turn in his direction whenever he entered a room. Hell, they even had a few friends at Hogwarts who became all giggly when he was around. To them, it was the worst part of it all.

“Ok, but we’ve got to choose one,” Aly sighed, her eyes running down the piece of parchment she held in her hands. “Cut off the ones after his status, get rid of the gold-diggers and, finally, find someone who’s not in it just for his looks.”

It was a hard work; one that took them more than a few days to watch every woman in the list they had come up with until, at last, there was only one name left.

“You know her?” Lya asked as she walked down the atrium towards the elevator.

“Yeah, she works with Mr. Weasley,” Aly explained following her sister. “She’s nice. We’ve talked a few times.”

“And where do you know her from?”

“Well, my line of work involves me getting in touch with other people, unlike some others who won’t tell anyone what they do,” she shot back with a roll of eyes. Alya Black had always been a curious person and not knowing what happened in the Department of Mysteries killed her inside.

The twins reached the Office for Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects and looked around, noticing how everyone in there seemed to be busy making sure that even the smallest item wasn’t disrupting several laws.

They stood there for about two minutes before someone noticed their presence, walking up to them with a smile.

“Alya, hey.” A brunette woman said, her smile reaching her green eyes easily. Her body came to a halt when she got closer to the girls, looking from one to the other. “Oh, you must be Lyra,” she reached her hand out, surprising the Black girl a little. “Nice to meet you.”

Lyra shook her hand awkwardly. She wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome. She wasn’t expecting anyone to see them standing there while spying on the nice lady in front of her, but it didn’t stop her from doing it. While Alya talked to the woman about something they should be discussing previously, Lyra took her time to analyze her.

She seemed genuinely interested on what Alya was going on about, her eyes never moving sideways, focusing solely on what she was being told. It happened for as long as the blonde girl talked. Maybe Lyra really wanted it to work out, but it seemed like, so far, Karen Flynn was being the best choice.

Almost ten minutes later, the girls said goodbye to the woman and made their way back to where they had come from, Alya waiting until they were entirely out of earshot to then look at Lyra, a hopeful expression on her face.

“I guess,” Lyra said with a shrug.

“You guess?” Alya crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her sister. “Did you miss the part where she asked how dad was going and looked really concerned about him? Not fake concerned, but really concerned.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to anything you were saying,” it was Lyra’s turn to roll her eyes. “But if you’re saying that’s how it went, then I believe you.”

The girls entered the elevator and pressed the button to the second level with a smile on their faces. They had found the perfect match. Now they needed to work around Sirius Black and set those two up.


	7. Chapter Seven

For weeks, Alya and Lyra felt like tipping on their toes whenever they were around Sirius. They didn’t want him to get suspicious, but at the same time they couldn’t avoid him if the plan was to work. Because it had to work. Not only Sirius would get off their backs for a little bit, he’d also have someone new in his life, someone to share the burden he seemed to carry on his shoulders, someone to distract him when he needed. It was a long shot for it to happen in their first try, but the girls had hopes.

As January rolled over, Sirius found himself involved in more internal work than ever. Whenever Alya was in a case, she’d ask him to supervise her, something that Sirius liked quite a bit, if he were to admit. He liked the idea of spending time with his daughter, he liked thinking that she was trying to follow his steps and, obviously, he had no idea that she, in fact, was, but she also had other plans for the man.

Sirius was the kind of person who grew up to be suspicious of a lot of things, to trust his senses above all, but he had such a soft spot when it came to certain people that he just couldn’t help himself but trust them blindly. Sure, he’d been a little bit more cautious after what had happened with Peter - something he didn’t even like to think about - but there was no way he wouldn’t trust his own daughters. They were always up for a little mischief and some crazy plans, but he was the same when he was their age. And, in the end, they meant no harm at all.

The day had started off like any other with him walking up to his office, greeting someone every now and then. The Ministry had been crazy for the following months after the war, with people still missing and employees scared of going back after all the changes that had occured when Voldemort was behind the power. But, finally, everything was going back to the normal, slowly, but it was. Some of the workers still seemed a bit unease being around those walls, seeing all the Heads of Departments walking around as if just waiting for them to snap and bring those ways back into action.

Sirius wanted to make sure that whoever worked with him, didn’t have anything to be afraid of. That was why he kept the cordial face all the time, the smile whenever he passed anyone by or the greet upon his lips as he ran into any of them. So far, it had been working. 

Everything seemed to be in place as Sirius walked into the department, but with close inspection he noticed there was a familiar brunette head in the far corner, her posture slouched, eyes roaming around the room trying to find some recognizable face while biting her nails away. He approached the woman with a smile, as always, carefully to not startle her.

“Karen,” he said when he was close enough. “Good morning. You’re looking for Aly?”

Karen focused her wide eyes on the man in front of her, her hand snapping back to the side her body, ashamed she had been caught in such a terrible habit, and smoothed her navy-blue pencil skirt. She knew who he was and how important he was. Why had she chosen the early hours to look for Alya if she would have the risk to run into Sirius Black?

The woman coughed awkwardly, straightning her back and shaking her head. Why did she have to be such a mess? Arthur said she had to work her social skills, but she never really took much concern into it. Maybe he was right, she thought to herself as she looked at the man in front of her, her mind completely blank to what he had asked her. It was like she saw his lips moving, his voice coming out of his throat, but yet, she couldn’t understand a word. It happened fairly often when she was face to face with someone important.

Sirius took his time, noticing how the woman had reacted. She was caught off guard by him, so it was better if he waited until she could say anything before pressing her. It amused him, however, to see someone acting like that. She wasn’t new to the work in the Ministry, that he was aware of, so she certainly had met others head of department, but even so, she seemed to be in some kind of debate with her own mind, as if being next to someone who had a superior post made her feel worried. Sirius chuckled inwardly as he watched Karen finally come to her senses, her breath working as her voice found its way out of her chest.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a small smile, her cheeks tinted in a deep red. “Yes, I’m looking for Aly, she said she had some news about the case I called her for…?”

Sirius nodded, waiting for her to keep saying whatever it was, but when he realized that was all she had, he looked around, trying to find anything that Alya could have possibly left for the woman. He sighed walking to the girl’s desk. It was a mess of papers, quills and ink, much like her room seemed to be like when she was in Hogwarts and had holiday homework to do. Carefully, he arranged throughout the messy space, looking for anything that could be of help.

It took him a while, but he finally found a folder with everything regarding the case Alya was on, but that one, specifically, he didn’t know much about. His eyes scanned across the notes she had left, her neat handwritting smudging in the end due to her haste, reading everything he could and trying to find anything he could say to the woman in front of him. Sirius sighed and shook his head. 

“Can you come back later?” his eyes turned to her. “I’ll go over these, because Alya won’t be around today. She’s got a lecture.”

And so it went. Sirius spent the entire morning going over a minor case, something he hadn’t even been involved in at first, pushing aside everything else he had just to get it over with. He thought it was a good gesture, helping out Arthur’s department as they had been friends for long years, but there was this small voice, at the back of his mind, telling him that was not only it. Karen had seemed to lost and small leaning against the wall that morning that he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was intimidated by him. So, if he worked closer to her, he’d show the woman she had nothing to fear. He was a nice guy, right?

As the days turned into weeks and Alya had more and more time to devote to the courses she had been slacking to, indeed, become an Auror, Sirius Black took lead in everything she had been doing, even the smallest cases that seemed to pop ou from the Office for Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. It seemed like now that the wizarding community wasn’t under the threat of Voldemort, they seemed more and more eager to show themselves to the Muggles. Lots of objects seemed to be enchanted, roaming around the Muggle streets threatening them into exposure. The people down at the Office had been going through a lot of work and some of them needed the help of Aurors, due to their, let’s say, investigative skills.

The fact that Sirius had dived head first into that - and consequently spending more time with a specific brunette - did not go unnoticed by none less than James Potter as he watched his best friend lean over the table, trying to find any pattern to follow. He smirked inwardly, his eyes turning to Alya, who was at the office at that time, and gave her a knowingly glare, smiling at her and shaking his head. He had caught on what Lyra and Alya were up to and he couldn’t  _not_  like it. So many years had gone since Sirius had someone in his life, it was finally time to move on.

* * *

The girls couldn’t stop smiling around the house as they saw their plan working perfectly, each new day leading into a new scheme that only resulted in more progress. When they first started thinking about a way to get Sirius to date again, they weren’t sure it was going to work, but seeing him smiling more often than not, singing under his breath and - finally - not buzzing too much into their personal lives, they couldn’t believe it was actually happening. 

The next step was a bit harder, though. Sirius had spent too much time chatting with Karen, but things hadn’t gone farther than that yet and it was driving them a little worried. What if he never asked her out or anything? That would jeopardize the whole plan and that was why Lyra had convinced her dad that going out with some of his friends was the right thing to do on a Friday night, after an eventful week. 

The man, of course, didn’t seem suspicious of anything and agreed to that, hurrying to invite everyone he knew. What he wasn’t aware of (but the girls were) was that in that same night, everyone had something to do, from going out with their spouse to baby sitting their nephew. No matter how many people Sirius called, all of them had some kind of plan for the night.

Casually, Alya walked up to her father, a frown on her face as she looked at the man, trying to come up with a excuse. 

“Hey, dad,” she started as if the thought had just occured to her. “Aren’t you friends with Karen? Why don’t you ask her? I mean… You two having been stressing over that case for what feels like forever. You deserve some treat.”

Sirius looked at the girl and thought for a couple of minutes. Yeah, they had become quite close being bent over the table and looking at countless pieces of parchments trying to solve a case that seemed to be unsolved, so why not? Maybe a few bottles of butterbeer and doses of Firewhiskey would help them to clear their minds.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when, half an hour later, Sirius walked out of the house leaving the two girls smiling widely, like kids on a Christmas morning upon seeing all the gifts that were left for them under the tree. If they didn’t think it was a bit too much, they’d be dancing all around the living room, but they couldn’t get their hopes up so much. Yes, he had taken the bait, but it would be a long ride until he finally went all out and started dating someone.

They didn’t have much to be done now. It was a Friday night, but everyone they were related to seemed to take the day to just chill and stay in, something they thought about doing as well; there was a lot of movies they wanted to watch and what a greater time than being home alone to watch all those scary movies Muggles seemed so afraid of?

The light in the living room was set dimly, the curtains drawn blocking their view from the rain that had started to pour outside, and Lyra had come out from the kitchen holding a big bowl of popcorn, placing it on the candy-filled coffee table. The night was going to be a blast.

Not too long into the second movie, however, Alya sighed deeply, her eyes turning to her sister, whose face sported a bored expression. They hadn’t been entertained in the last bit. Something about it all seemed fake, the special effects looked poorly done or the story just wasn’t too scary. They lived in a world where ghosts, ghouls, vampires, poltergeist and werewolves were real. Not to mention the fact that they were witches. Watching a movie where a witch was the villain wasn’t too scary.

What they didn’t expect, though, was for the spirit in the movie, all contorted and looking a lot like the Dark Lord himself, show up so close to the tv screen at that moment, just as a thunder cracked loudly outside and the front door opened with a loud bang a drenched figure coming through it as drops of water trickled to the ground. Needless to say, the twins let out a shrill scream, popcorn flying around the living room while they were searching for their wands, lost in the cushions.

The black figure kept walking into the house, their hand reaching out for the wall, only to connect it to the light switch and turn it on, displaying an unamused Sirius Black, wet from head to toe, a puddle forming at his feet as he stood in the entrance of the living room, his eyes going from one girl to the other, their eyes wide open in fear, their hands tucked into the cushions of the couch and their breaths ragged.

“Yeah, that wasn’t the welcome I was expecting either,” he sounded profundly irritated and maybe, just maybe, the girls thought, it had nothing to do with the littered living room, but the rain outside drenching him to the bones.

Once the girls’ heart seemed to go back ot its normal pace, they both hurried to make the room a habitable enviroment again, rushing to put everything back in its place as they watched their father go to the upper level of the house to change into dry clothes, coming back down a few minutes later, only to find his daughters whispering to each other by the kitchen door.

He walked up to them, rolling his eyes when they stopped talking and looked at him with pointed looks, as if him being home was something he had done wrong. 

“What are you doing here?” Alya shot straight at the man, her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping against the tiled floor. It would be comic if Sirius didn’t find it slightly disrespectful. 

“Why? Can’t I be in my own house?” he asked back, not understanding what was the matter.

“Of course you can,” Lyra interfered, a small smile on her lips, trying to ease down the tension. “We’re just wondering why you’re back so early. You seemed excited to go out earlier.”

Sirius shrugged, his feet leading him into the kitchen, walking around aimlessly, picking the most random objects only to put it right back down without further inspection. “It felt weird,” he rambled. 

Alya and Lyra looked at each other, concern written all over their faces and approached the man who had stopped in front of the marble sink top and looked at his feet.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged once again. “It just felt weird, like it was a wrong thing to be doing, you know?”

“Ok, but dad,” Lyra started, her hands reaching out for her father’s. “What’s wrong with Karen?”

“Nothing’s wrong with her,” was the quick answer Sirius shot, his dry throat kind of betraying him.

“Then why are you not out with her?” Alya inquired, still not getting how he could have ended the night to soon. It had everything to go right. They were getting along just fine for the past weeks, some eventual joke here and there.

“I just don’t want to.”

His behavior was not something erratic. He was headstrong enough to not give any kind of information if he didn’t want to, but those two were exactly like him and knew when something was going on.

“Is it because of mom?” Lyra asked. Her voice was so small they could barely hear her. Marlene McKinnon was a sensitive topic around that house, which led to rare mentions of her name, but it didn’t take much to realize it was the problem at hand.

“Dad…” Alya sighed. “Let’s be real here. You’re not getting any younger. You might have had your charm back in the old days, but those days are soon to be gone. Just think it through.”

The silence in the room was palpable. As it had always happened before, Alya had said the right thing in the wrong way. She didn’t have the patience to approach it slowly, but it didn’t mean she meant any harm and Sirius was well aware of that. That was why he chose to just shake his head at the girl, trying to contain the smile that threatened to form in his lips.

“Ok, Aly, that’s not the way we were going for,” Lyra sighed, her back straghtening and eyes rolling. “Dad, don’t you think it’s been a long while since you last had a relationship?”

“You two don’t understand-”

“We get it,” the brunette twin interrupted. “You loved mom, but she’s dead, dad. For the past seventeen years. And I know it sucks, because if it does for me and Aly, I can only imagine how it feels for you, but you have to move on.”

“I can’t just move on, Lyra,” he sighed, his head shaking trying to avert the tears that had seemed to find its way to his glossy eyes. “It’s not that easy. As much as I appreciate you two wanting me to get back out there, I can’t. I loved your mother. More than I could have ever loved anyone else and that’s something, because, for so long, I thought I wasn’t the type to find someone, get settled and start a family, but I wanted all that when I finally realized how I felt about her and that makes me think I won’t love anyone else, ever, because she was the only one who ever made me feel this way.”

This time, the tears had found its way out, at last.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so… We’ve reached THE point here. And you have no idea how excited and worried I am. haha. Enjoy it!
> 
> P.S.: There’s Fernanda with Portuguese again. I’m sorry. You know… The translation will be at the end of everything!

 

_**February 1979** _

_The sun was shinning mercilessly, punishing whoever was under it, which was pretty much everyone sat by the sand in the beautiful landscape that the Copacabana Beach offered. The waves were washing away the shore, splashing everyone in the water who was trying to ease the heat down. It seemed like it was the hottest day of the year and there was no forecast of it going away any time soon._

_From the chaise lounge positioned directly under the sun with nothing to provide pretection from the rays, Marlene McKinnon slid her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, checking the people around her, staring at some random brunette. Her tanned body, long legs, thin waist and large hips made sure to attract all the eyes to her, but it was quite common in the sunny Rio de Janeiro, full of beautiful women with amazing bodies. Marlene was never the one to feel insecure about her body, but seeing that other woman stare at her boyfriend - wait, husband now - made her blood boil. How dared she stare at Sirius like he was the eighth wonder in the world?_

_The brunette finally noticed the blonde girl sat by the man she was eyeing for the past couple of minutes and grimaced. Of course someone like him would be accompanied by a blonde bimbo, much like every other gringo she had ever seen around the beach. It was always like that, to be honest. If they weren’t with someone, they were alone looking for someone, preferably a Brazilian. The thing is… That one had intrigued her the most, with his eyes covered by the sunglasses, keeping his eyes on the horizon, not paying much attention to anyone else as his hands always found a way, a moment, to touch the woman by his side. Sometimes, it was almost imperceptible, with his fingers reaching out slowly, pratically as if it was a forbidden touch. Other times, he was less gentle, verging ruthlessness, with his full hand grazing the woman’s tigh, leaving a red trail on her white skin. But even so, she didn’t look away from him nor paid attention to the golden ring on his left hand and only averted her eyes when the blonde by his side moved down her sunglasses, icy-blue meeting her warm chocolate eyes, and glared at her._

_Sirius watched all that with a smirk on his face and tried to contain a laugh from escape through his mouth. Ever since they stepped in the city he had been dealing with men looking at Marlene and he was trying his best to not do anything to them, like, maybe, a hex or something of the sorts; it would only bring him a lot of trouble with the Wizarding community in Brazil and, as a Ministry worker back in the UK, it would involve a lot of diplomatic talks, something he was not so fond of. So he chose to keep his cool and curse all the men mentally, while throwing them dirty looks as he walked down the streets, his hands grasping Marlene’s tightly._

_“Why did we come here?” she asked out of nowhere, her eyes finally moving back to the blue ocean in front of them. That was a sight that neither could get enough.  
_

_“You wanted to see how Carnival is,” Sirius chuckled, his arms folding behind his head. “Regretting your decision?”  
_

_“Not as much as the next woman who looks at you will regret making that decision,” she threatened the air.  
_

_Once again, Sirius couldn’t fight back the smirk on his face, enjoying too much how jealous she was. Their relationship had always based off the principle of trust, of course, and despite them knowing that one would never cheat on the other, they couldn’t help the distaste and sense of property over the other whenever someone as much as looked their way. It was almost an unspoken rule that reigned their, now, marriage._

_Marlene rolled her eyes and shook her head, barely believing that was the man she chose to spend the rest of her life with. There were moments she just wanted to reach her hands around his neck and choke him to death, but she was sure the feeling was mutual. Once again, she drifted her eyes to the scene in front of her, dozens of people walking up and down the shoreline, enjoying the free days they got for the biggest holiday the country had. It was curious seeing how everyone seemed so carefree and happy, not a worry in their minds, only enjoying the beach, the sun, the sand beneath their feet and nothing else._

_The day went without much else happening. They were too lazy to move around, using the excuse they’d be there for three more days and there was plenty of time to get to know the region. As the sun begun to set, they finally got up, collecting their belongings and marching back to the hotel across the street._

_The Rio Othon Palace was a new hotel, being opened two years before, but it was not as imposing as the Copacabana Palace, whom, at the time, was in slowly decaying in quality. That was why they had decided staying in the first hotel, and even though a little bit saddened, it was being an amazing experience. The highest floor held a beautiful pool, giving view to all the beach and the Sugarloaf Mountain, or Morro do Pão de Açúcar, as they had learned saying it like the natives. All in all, the experience in Brazil was being a good one._

_About two hours later, they were already back on the streets, trying to find the least busy location so they could Apparate to the Sambódromo and watch the parade, a must see if you’re in Rio during Carnival. All the colors, the beats, the people dancing in the avenue made them feel like it was surreal, like nothing else mattered. The drums echoed inside their bodies, making it tremble and excite with each new beat. The heat hadn’t gone away and, if possible, it only had become more unbearable, but not Sirius and not even Marlene cared. They were too entertained to avert their eyes from the costumes the dancers were wearing and the decorated cars._

_The end of the night came all to soon. Sirius seized Marlene’s hand in his and followed the mass of people walking out of the bleachers towards the exit. Sweat was dripping down their bodies, but the smile on their faces was something that would not fade away any time soon._

* * *

**February 1999**

The sun was shinning restlessly on everyone following the  _trio elétrico,_ the heat waves seen through the concrete paradise surrouding the streets. Grey was the only color to be seen, other than the colorful outfits the mass of people were wearing, that is, and the few trees that the city hall had planted along the Paulista Avenue, but that was São Paulo. Chaotic, full of people, grey and really hot, even more in Carnival.

A young man, he couldn’t be older than 17, jumped around and laughed at everyone, a few of his friends by his side, partying like they were finally free, which was slightly weird. Classes hadn’t started yet, had they? 

Shaking her head, trying to get rid of random thoughts, the girl who was keeping her eyes on the small group of boys made her way through the crowd, smiling at the boy in the middle. His disheveled hair was stuck to his forehead, his grey eyes glinting and a shy can of beer in his hand as he turned around to see the girl in front of him, his friends sporting sly smiles on their faces.

“Oi!*” the girl shouted over the loud music, her smile still etched on her face, her hands pushing a strand of hair behind her ears. 

“Oi,” the guy shouted back, his eyes falling to her level, looking her up and down, taking in the short shorts and tight tank top she was wearing. She had glitter in every corner of her face as well as her neck and her cleavage, and he was sure it was intentional and was doing its purpose: drawing the attention.

“Qual seu nome?**” she asked leaning on the tip of her toes. She was surprised he was understanding her. From his looks to his stance, she was sure wasn’t Brazilian, but seeing him so close and watching him singing the songs playing, without any hint of an accent, she was sure she had been wrong. 

“Gale,” he said, this time lowering his head towards hers. He was so much taller he almost had to lean over the girl. It was a funny scene to whoever watched it. “E o seu?***”

“Lorena,” she said with a funny smile. Maybe she hadn’t been too wrong. With that name, he, at least, had to have foreign parents, but she chose not to ask. It was a personal question, something that did not go well with the time of the year and someone she had just met.

There wasn’t much else to be said. The music was too loud, the people was crowding them, each time making them be closer until their bodies were touching entirely. Gale looked up at the sky, thanking whoever was up there for sending that hot girl towards him. He should be at school, in the middle of the fucking Amazon, surrounded by animals and caiporas, but he had taken the first opportunity to rushing back to São Paulo to spend the holiday, even knowing that his mom wasn’t there. She was going to kill him, he was very aware of that, but, while she was away doing whatever it was that she seemed to be doing lately - and choosing not to tell him - he was going to enjoy his three days of freedom with his friends and hit every Carnival Block he could. And if with that he had the chance to meet someone, so be it.

With that in mind, the young man leaned closer to the girl, his head dropping to hers once again, eyes fluttering closed as she approached the final centimeters, her mouth meeting his in a heated kiss, not caring that she might be slightly older than him. It was Carnival. Everything was allowed.

* * *

Sirius awoke with a start. The room seemed way too bright, something he was not used to. He had gone to bed around midnight, after revising some papers Shacklebolt had asked him. Up to that moment, everything was fine and he had gone to bed after checking the protection spells surrouding the house. The lights downstairs had been turned off when Lyra went to bed, a little earlier than him, and no other source of light was on in the entire upper floor.

Stumbling from sleep, he got up and reached out for his wand, the mysterious light still shinning in his room, and went to the window, checking to see if it was any of the neighbors. What he did see, however, was something he didn’t think possible. 

A shimmering silver light flickered from the other side of the street, a shape coming out of it, something he was sure he was never going to see, not only in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood, but at all. Because it was a Patronus, that he was sure of and after years of seeing it being produced to say that everything was fine, Sirius would recognize it everywhere. The goddamned tabby cat with pointy ears and a fluffy tail that seemed to haunt his dreams for so long was back. And despite it seemed impossible, it was right outside his window, walking down the sidewalk in front of him, tauting him to get closer and take a look at it.

With his heart hammering, Sirius took a step back, rushed to the bathroom and washed his face fiercily. He had been dreaming. It had all been a dream and nothing else. Because he felt guilty for going out with another woman, because he felt like his chest was going to explode from missing its owner. That was it. Nothing else. It couldn’t be possible. 

He took a few minutes to get his breathing normal again, his eyes running all over his face to make sure he was awake now, and then made his way back to the room. The light that seemed to irradiate from his window wasn’t there anymore and all that could be seen was the street light pole shinning weakly. 

“It was all a dream,” he murmured as he sank back in the matress. “All a dream.”

In the next morning, there was no shadow of doubt that he had imagined all of it. Except that, in fact, he had not. The tabby silver cat was there last night, not haunting him, but desperatly reaching out to him.

* * *

_*Hi_

_**What’s your name?_

_***And yours?_


	9. Chapter Nine

There were days Lyra Black wouldn’t mind getting up at the crack of the dawn; she’d throw her covers aside, get off of the bed without too much of thought and leap around trying to find the switch to see her way through her dark room to pry open the window on the opposite side of her bed, letting her secret black cat slip in and stop meowing.

That morning, however, she barely heard it complaining outside, being in a deep slumber due to the horrible night she had had. The most confusing dream kept her tossing and turning, not really finding her way through sleep and consciousness, tiring her more than anything else. She just woke up when the scene behind her eyelids turned to a complete black, nothing else happening.

By the time her eyes shot open, she looked at the clock she had on her bed side table and noticed it was almost time to get up and get ready, but her entire body protested under the smallest movement, her head pounding against her skull, like she was having the most horrible hangover ever, even if there were weeks since the last time she drank a single drop of alcohol.

Slowly, yet trying to not lose too much time, she made her way to the bathroom in her room, her head hung low, avoiding all mirrors and light, the dream still playing in the back of her mind, like the scenes of a bad movie printed on your brain. Remotely, she remembered a very bright light entering her room, a blueish-silver glow to it and a specific form, she just couldn’t remember which one. There was also a voice, a calm, feminine voice soothing her back to sleep, assuring everything was alright and that nothing was to fear. She didn’t know why, but that voice made her feel safe. Maybe it was the melodic way it sounded in the middle of the night, or the beautiful glow accompanying it, or the fact that she wasn’t really seeing anything and that it was just a dream. Whatever it was, comforted her beyond anything else.

And, suddenly, she was watching a tall figure from her window, standing on the other side of the street, a wand in its hand while being surrounded by the blue light. And it looked so beautiful, so calming and reassuring that she just wanted to reach out and touch it. She blinked and she was right there, standing beside the figure, who she now recognized as woman, tall, blonde, blue eyes - much like hers - and smiled. It wasn’t just any woman. It was her mom. That’s why she felt so safe, so calm. Her mom was there in front of her, her hand reaching out to touch her cheek in the most tender way possible, smiling at her so fondly, so full of love that she felt like her heart was going to explode.

“You’ve grown so beautifully,” Marlene mumbled, her eyes running over Lyra’s face, taking in everything she could, obliging her brain to absorb every little detail. “I missed you so much, sweetie. You and your sister are so grown up and so beautiful.”

Lyra couldn’t say anything. She just stood there, smiling, leaning into the touch Marlene was providing. She had been longing for it for so many years that her mind shut down, only enjoying the feeling of her mom’s hand against her face, her eyes dazzled. And even if it was just a dream, it felt so incredibly real she didn’t want to wake up. But she blinked again and, this time, she was back in her room, ready to wake up and leave for her busy day at work.

It was weird how, when happening, it felt so real and how now she had no doubt it was just a dream. Well, she couldn’t actually be able to walk across the street in a blink of an eye (not without Apparating) and coming face to face with her mother. She wasn’t there, she would never be there again and that was what made everything so much more overwhelming. She wished she could be able to feel Marlene’s touch one more time, to hear her voice lulling her, to be comforted by her whenever something went wrong or just be able to hug her one more time. But she couldn’t.

Shaking those thoughts aside - she didn’t have time to daydream about it like she used to when she was a small girl -, Lyra walked down the stairs of the house, heading into the living room and finding Alya there, staring blankly at the wall in front of her, the one that, coincidently, displayed the only picture with the four of them.

“I have a feeling I had a dream about mom last night,” Alya said without taking her eyes off the frame, her hands intertwined on top of her legs, her back leaning against the armchair she was sitting in. “I can’t remember much, but I remember hearing her voice in my room, softly.”

Lyra frowned and walked over to her, dumbstruck. Was it possible for the both of them to have the same dream on the same night? She shook her head, looking at her sister in the eyes for the first time, seeing the red blotches on her face, her running nose and red eyes. She had been crying and Lyra couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Alya crying for anything.

They both sat down in each other’s arms, staring ahead in the most complete silence. Not even Sirius disturbing them when he walked down the stairs and saw them like that. He knew something had happened and that was their way of coping with it.

* * *

 

A few more days turned into weeks and Sirius couldn’t let go of the night he was awaken by the one Patronus he swore he would never see again. Because, while it was possible to someone else having a Patronus so like the one that was imprinted on his mind, what were the chances of it belonging to someone he knew and wanted to talk to him in the middle of the night to then just change their mind? It made no sense.

That thought haunted his mind every night and while he wanted to let it all go, he wanted nothing else than to be able to see it again, looming over his window, begging for an entrance. But how much of it had been real life and how much had been just a dream? He was tired that night, stressed over the work and, as always, thinking of Marlene. The fact that he had gone out with someone else only added to it.

At the Ministry, everything was the same: no more random notes, no more mysterious newspapers, just the old, boring paperwork he had to deal with on a daily basis. Life had gone back to the dull routine he had grown used to over the years. And each day seemed to last longer than the previous one, dragging him around, showering him with mundane happenings. After years of living wildly and fighting a war, Sirius had landed a tedious life for himself and he didn’t like it one bit.

He wanted the action back and maybe that was why he was clinging so desperately to anything remotely close to the unexplainable, trying to pull himself out of his misery, one weird case at a time, but he didn’t have such luck. All the random things that seemed to happen in his life lasted less than one day and the gap between them was so inconstant that he couldn’t be sure if they related or not. All that he had understood, so far, was that whatever it was, whoever it was, knew him and was playing with his mind.

When April finally started, Sirius had long given up on it. He should put his focus on his job and his daughters, as they seemed to be getting older and older under his watch. For Merlin’s sake, he could’ve sworn he had overheard Lyra talking to Alya about moving out once John finished school so they could live together. That was not going to happen any time soon, if he had a say in this. And, of course, he would have, even if she didn’t ask him. Only yesterday they were little babies who needed his undivided attention for everything and now they’re talking about moving in with boyfriends? That wasn’t going to happen.

He liked to believe he was in control of everything. Like an omniscient being, knowing everything that happened under his roof, but pretending he wasn’t aware of it, manipulating the girls into believing they had the upper hand. He knew Lyra had a cat hidden in her room - oh, how had he hated it at first - and that Alya sneaked out, every other day, to do only Merlin knew what. But it was far better keeping it a secret, enjoying while the girls thought they were these genius when it came to keeping secrets. Of course, a few of them were hidden enough for him not to know, but he knew there was something going on.

So, as far as Sirius was concerned, him, with his omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence had the right to decide whether his young adult daughter were to move in with her long term, hardwork boyfriend. And, according to his beliefs, she would not.

But his purpose crumbled down the minute he saw Lyra tangled in John’s arm the one weekend he came back to celebrate his birthday. It was just a couple of weeks after the Easter Holidays and despite the fact that it hadn’t been that long since they had seen each other, the look on their faces made it clear to Sirius that they were on that level of commitment. He didn’t like to admit it, but it was the truth.

The celebration wasn’t much of a party. John never was the person to go out there and throw a big feats. He was the kind of guy who liked to keep it to a minimum, with just his closest friends and family around him, the ones who truly were able to go with it without much of a complaint.

But Sirius’ mind was elsewhere. From his peripheral vision, he could see everyone walking around the kitchen (Lyra had insisted on having dinner at their place, instead of at the Lupin’s) and moving it to the backyard, where the table was set up, but he couldn’t pay too much of an attention to it. He was seated in the couch, his head facing the TV set, his back on the glass window leading to the patio. In front of him, on the coffee table, was the newspaper, the same one James had handed him months ago, lying there forgotten. The greyish paper had fled from Sirius’ worries weeks before and had become a part of the decoration by now, a clear signal that he needed to go over his stuff and get rid of everything he didn’t need.

What brought him back to the people around him, was the sound of something splattering to the floor, the clear sound of porcelain breaking, a hiss echoing through the kitchen before John and Lyra popping their heads around the corner, looking at him as if they had been caught.

“Don’t say it was one of your mother’s favorite,” he mumbled, his eyes pleading. He never gave much of a thought to dishes and silverware, but Marlene seemed to take a special like for this set they had gotten all those years before. After she passed, he kept it hidden until the twins were old enough to handle them without breaking. Or so he thought.

“If it will make you feel better, then I won’t” the brunette girl said sheepishly, rocking on the ball of her feet as John tried, at all costs, to avoid the situation altogether.

Sirius mumbled something incoherent under his breath before shaking his head and grabbing the paper sitting in front of him. He had found an use for it after all, he thought as he simply marched into the kitchen, trying to not look too aggravated by the situation.

John, being the ever so helpful person that he was, knelt down and started picking up the shards of porcelain carefully, putting them in a pile before moving to wrap the pieces in the newspaper. His eyes caught something funny, however, and it wasn’t because of the foreign language, because he knew it and could understand every single word in it. What he did see, and puzzled him, was that some of the words were marked, almost imperceptible, but he could see it. Maybe it was the way the light in the kitchen was reflecting on the paper, or maybe it was something else, but whatever it was, made him pay full attention to it, snapping the paper out of Sirius’ hands, kind of harshly much to his surprise.

“Did you see this?” the young man asked, his eyes turning to Sirius’ confused ones. “There’s some words here, like, marked,” he explained and by the look he got from his uncle and his girlfriend, he knew they hadn’t seen anything differently. “I swear, maybe it was the way the light was hitting the paper, but there’s some letters written in a bolder font.”

Sirius took the paper out of his hands and tried to reading it against the light, trying to identify whatever it was that John was talking about. And it just did, it just worked like it had been there the entire time, but he had examined that newsprint countless times and had never seen anything.

Scrambling to her feet, Lyra stood beside her father, her eyes squinting, trying to make out the letters, but she just saw a bunch of words she didn’t understand. Trying to help in some way, she rushed to Sirius’ office coming back with a notebook and a pen, copying down the letters she had seen, checking if they were correctly, only for her father to reach for it and trying to read it, despite his lack of knowledge of the language.

Sixteen letters formed a short sentence, something that made John look from one to the other, completely confused and taken aback from the message. Because what the hell did it mean?

“What does it say?” Sirius pressed the boy, his voice sounding desperate. Maybe this was the answer to everything he had been going through.

“It says,” John looked at the paper again to make sure his mind wasn’t playing trick on him. “It says ‘I’m here, Black’ in Portuguese.”

 


	10. Chapter Ten

Sirius couldn’t believe he was actually doing it. He had gone through the process of buying the tickets, driving to the airport and going through boarding procedures, but even then, as he sat on the airplane seat, he still doubted everything was real, he thought that he was going to wake up at any second and find out he was alone in the dark room with no one by his side. He tried pinching himself, asked James and Remus to punch him countless times - James seemed eager to comply, while Remus just shook his head and walked away - and tried to awaken himself somehow, but it wasn’t a dream. It felt like one, but it was all very much real.

Maybe he would feel better as soon as he landed and discovered everything was nothing but a game his mind played, because there was no way it could be the truth. He remembered the day everything happened like it was yesterday, the way James and Remus had walked up to him, their eyes bloodshot, their voices wavering as they tried to explain what had happened. He remembered not accepting it and spending the next few months trying to come up with excuses as to where she could have gone, but every new idea led to a dead end until he finally pulled himself together and remembered he had more important things to worry about, like his two toddlers who had just lost their mother and couldn’t bear to have an absent father.

Daughters that were sat by his side that moment, their stance completely shaken, hands trembling and nerves wrecked, much as his. He wasn’t sure if he should have brought them with him and tried to use every excuse he could think of, but they were getting none of it; if he was to go, they would be going as well. They were a family and should do it together, despite the disclosure.

Ever since they had found that hidden message in the newspaper, everyone seemed to be going under a lot of stress. Sirius vagally recalled how everything had happened, with John having a clinic eye to the piece of paper he was holding and noticing the faint mark in some of the letters and Lyra acting to write down, letter by letter, trying to decipher what it was written. And as soon as the Lupin boy finally translated what was written, Sirius felt his entire body turn cold. Not because he was scared that something bad was about to happen, but because everything had finally clicked in his mind. And it seemed absurd, it seemed ridiculous and a cruel joke, because there was no way it could mean what he thought it did, even if he wanted, so desperately, for it to be true.

There were times he wanted Marlene to be there with him more than anything in the world, like it would be all he needed to get through the day, or to help him understand what was going on with Lyra and Alya as they grew up, but she couldn’t be there, because she wasn’t alive anymore. And he hated it. He hated that he would never be able to see her beautiful face again, or the way her smile seemed to reach her ears whenever he walked into the room and saw her playing with the girls, or the sun reflecting off her eyes so beautifully, adding a new nuance to the color he was so used to. So how could she be so within reach now after 18 years?

As the plane took off, he kept repeating on his mind everything he wanted to ask her, everything he wanted to say, share a piece of his mind for her being so selfish and running away from the life they had together. But at the same time, he wanted to understand why she had done it, because he knew he couldn’t hate her. He would never be able to hate her, for as much as she had broken his heart.

For the girls, however, it was a completely different story. They had no idea how they would react if they ever found Marlene. They wanted to believe that it was going to be emotional and intense, but other than that, they didn’t know what to say, or how to look at her. They didn’t even know if she was indeed alive as the three of them wanted to believe. It had taken them three months to decide everything, to really go forward with the plan of embarking to Brazil to look for the long lost member of their family. Three months of not focusing on their work, three months of pacing around the living room weighting the pros and cons, three months of trying to hold themselves down in order to not act harshly.

But Marlene had reached out to them first, right? She wanted them to go after her, right? After all those years, something had finally clicked on her mind and made her want to see them again. And she chose the most inconvenient ways, but she did. She messed with their heads enough to bring them to a foreign country in hopes of seeing her for the first time in 18 years. Lyra and Alya didn’t know how to react to that at all.

* * *

Marlene had been distracted the past few months. She was racking her brain trying to figure out what her next move would be. The newspaper should have done it, but she didn’t understand why it hadn’t worked. The way she left the note on James’ desk and how she made sure he got the right one to deliver… It should have worked. And she knew Sirius was supposed to understand it was her after she stood across the street from her old house and sent her Patronus in. She was so sure he was going to understand it. What had happened that it was taking him so long to figure it all out?

She couldn’t keep pacing around her office. It was much distracting to the other journalists as they kept stopping outside her window to look at her franticly walking in circles, like she had lost her mind, so she decided to call it a day and head back to her place. Gale was having his winter holidays and had probably ended with all the food supply they had, ending up eating something in the street as he always seemed to do when he wasn’t in Castelobruxo. She couldn’t understand how he kept himself so fit with all the junk food his system absorbed, but it was something he had gotten from his father, bless him.

Throwing her trench coat over her shoulders, the blonde woman made her way out of the building not giving anyone any explanation as to where she was going. She had worked a lot to have that right and she should benefit from it every now and then. She was the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. One day to herself wouldn’t end up with anyone being killed.

The moment she reached the outside, the city overwhelmed her once more: the cars engines, the people walking down the sidewalk, the grey buildings and the grey sky the winter reserved. There was a chilly wind that day, something she would never mind. Marlene remembered when she first got to São Paulo, alone, running away from a raging war, running away to keep her family safe. She didn’t know if the Death Eaters who had attacked her parents’ house had followed her, but she couldn’t risk putting her husband and two daughters in danger, so she’d fled. She left the UK as soon as she thought it was clear and after a few days of going from one country to the other, she finally took a plane to Brazil, where everything seemed to at peace.

And she it was there that she discovered that she was pregnant again, something she thought so reckless of. It was reckless the first time, it was just plain stupid the second one. How could have she messed up that much? And she couldn’t go back at the moment, because as much as she wanted to make sure Sirius, Alya and Lyra were safe, she knew that them thinking she was dead was going to keep them safe. As much as she wanted to go back, she couldn’t risk anyone’s life, much less hers now. She knew it was selfish, but as far as her whole family there was safe, she could allow herself to be selfish if it meant the well-being of her baby. And so she stayed. And even though the war was kept at bay after what happened at the Potters (thank Merlin they were warned in time), she couldn’t bring herself back. For the first time in all her life, Marlene was genuinely scared of how everyone would treat her.

That was why she chose to stand back. She had been gone from their lives for so many years that she didn’t feel like it was her choice to go back into it anymore. But when the Second War started and everyone she knew was in danger again, she had prayed to whoever heard her to keep them safe. She couldn’t lose them again, not now. And as the final battle came to an end, she promised herself that she was going to let them know about her, about her being alive and well, about Sirius having a son. And she chose to act on his birthday, sending an anonymous note to him wishing him a happy birthday, but she didn’t know he would react so drastically, thinking it was from some enemy. Maybe she chose her words badly, maybe she should’ve written more personally. But she didn’t stop there. Sending the newspaper was trickier, but she managed doing it with the help of a friend she had made while in Brazil. He understood her reasons as to why she was doing it and obliged to everything she asked him to. Hell, he even got hold of a fake passport so she could head back there and see them with her own eyes.

That was the day she almost lost all her resolve. The moment she saw them acting as a happy loving family, she wanted to cut off the charades and march into the living room, showing them she was there, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t her choice anymore. They would have to decide if they wanted her back or not. And then she saw Sirius, his handsome face, his beautiful grey eyes that contrasted so greatly with his black hair. She saw him laughing, expression lines showing by his eyes, only adding to his beauty, something she found impossible until that moment. If she listened close enough, she would be able to hear his faint voice, deep and soft like it had ever been and it made her insides fuzzy. She had missed him. She had missed his sparkling eyes, dramatic attitude, sly smirk and gentle touches. She had missed him altogether, every little piece of his being.

And then she saw the girls, how they looked so alike and yet so differently; how they had different auras surrounding themselves. While Alya looked like the spitting image of her, with the blonde hair and blue eyes, Lyra was a bit of both; she had her looks, but that black hair and grey eyes made she look so much different. They were equally beautiful, inside and out, both of them looking so comfortable around Sirius that their interaction made her heart want to melt. That was all she ever wanted for her family.

Marlene walked into her house so suddenly Gale jumped off the couch when he heard the door opening. He wasn’t expecting his mom to be back so soon and, as he looked around the living room, he groaned remembering he hadn’t done anything she had asked him to. He was going to have his ass kicked so hard he’d feel it until the end of his life.

The young man got off the couch and marched up to his mom, a smile playing on his lips, his arms extended, going for a hug. He was so much taller than her that she could barely escape his bear embrace, with his arms clasped tightly around her shoulders and rocking her from one side to the other.

“What are you trying to get away from?” she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulders while she tried to swat his arms from her.

“Nothin’”, he said quickly and took a step back, one of his hand on his chest in a feigned hurt gesture. “I can’t believe you’d think so low of me, mom.”

“I know you, Gale,” she warned him, her index finger pointing to his chest, but her eyes smiling kindly. “You’re just like your father, so don’t even try.”

Gale sighed and shrugged. She always mentioned how he acted and looked exactly like his father, but she never said anything more than that. She had never showed him a picture of Sirius and she was completely unaware that he knew she hid one of them back in Hogwarts in one of her drawers. Gale had found it when he was eight and decided to keep it as a secret. If she didn’t tell him about it, he wasn’t going to tell her he knew it. As the years went by, Gale found himself looking more and more like the man in the picture, the same hair, the same eyes, the same stance. It was weird and at the same time amazing. Because he wanted that man to be proud of who he was, who he became over the years, but a picture wasn’t enough. He wanted to hear stories, he wanted to know how they had met and, most importantly, he wanted to know what had happened to him.

“Whatever you say,” he mumbled with a wave of his hand running back to the living room and trying to make it look presentable and not as if he had been lying there all day, feeding off take away and left over pizza. “Just thought you’d like a warmer welcome.”

“Thank you so much, my favorite son,” Marlene joked walking to the kitchen, throwing her keys in the bowl by the counter on the way and picking up a pile of letters they had received, faintly hearing Gale mumble something about him being her only kid, which she just shook her head. If he only knew…

Her eyes scanned through the envelopes quickly, dismissing everything she deemed unnecessary, until her hands felt a heavier package, a wax seal on the back of it and the logo of Castelobruxo stamped on the front.

Marlene threw her head back, already knowing it had something to do with Gale and his too many adventures in the forest. She was tired of receiving letters from the Headmaster telling her her son had, once again, skipped class to spend his times jumping from one tree to the other with vines around his waist claiming it was his version of bungee-jumping. She had lost count of how many times Gale had been sent to detention for running after the caiporas and trying to pull a prank on them.

That letter was another one from the Headmaster informing her of her son’s dramatic antics as the midterms approached. Somehow, he had managed to set loose something called Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in the Herbology class and ran away from the test he was about to take, preventing the entire class from taking it as well, and then acting as if he had been on his way to class when it happened. The letter also contained a warn, saying that if he were to do anything else, Marlene was to show up at school so they could have a meeting regarding his actions.

She wanted to scream at him. Marlene had lost count of how many times she had to intervene on his behalf and beg the school board to not expel him and that, despite his actions, he was a good boy and meant no harm at all. It was the truth, but in his veins ran Sirius’ blood stronger than anything. And it didn’t matter if she talked to him about it, it was only a matter of time before he forgot everything and went back to his old ways.

There was a knock on the door and Marlene wanted nothing more than to just ignore it and tuck herself in her bed for the day. She had dealt with enough things already and if it was one more letter from Castelobruxo, she’d curse the hell out of Gale.

“It better not be one of your teachers at the door, Gale,” she warned making her way to the front door, the only response coming from the boy was a chuckle. “I swear to Merlin that if it is, I’m going to kill you.”

However, it wasn’t anyone from the school or anyone she was expecting. Marlene stood there, with not only her front door open, but also her eyes and mouth.

* * *

Sirius couldn’t believe it. For as hopeful as he had been, never in his wildest dreams he would have believed it was true. His eyes couldn’t stop widening, as if there was no limit for them to stop. He was dumbstruck, frozen, but shaking from head to toe. He felt like he had just seen a ghost, a beautiful ghost he had dreamt about for the past 18 years, but only she was real and standing in front of him, as paralyzed as he was.

And upon seeing her, all the speech he had rehearsed on the plane disappeared from his mind and all he could think about was that she was standing there in a ripped jeans and a grey tank top, dressed so simply and yet so wonderfully, making him feel like he was a teenager again. How could it be true? How could he be standing there and looking at the face he missed the most?

There was a movement behind her, a tall masculine figure walking up to the door, worried and frowning, trying to understand the commotion going on and as soon as Sirius was able to see his face, he stumbled back, too stunned to be looking at a younger version of him. That was when Lyra and Alya let out a breath. They had been quiet during the whole time, but maybe the shock of seeing the young man overwhelmed them too much, making it hard to keep themselves quiet.

The boy looked from one side to the other, trying to understand what was happening, until his eyes finally set on the man at the door and choked. It was the same man he had seen in the picture. He was older, but it definitely was his father, in flesh and bones. His mind was racing, not understanding anything and not being able to bring out a word out of his mouth. What was happening?

Alya was the first one to break out of her trance, taking tentative steps towards the woman in front of her. “Mom?” her voice was shaken, almost caughting in the back of her throat. The word sounded foreign in her mouth, rolling out weirdly when calling someone like that.

Marlene nodded, her hand reaching her mouth as she tried to contain the sobs that were about to escape. She had given up holding the tears back, still too shocked to see the three of them standing in front of them. Was it a dream?

Alya smiled, slowly reaching out to touch her mom’s hand. She had to make sure that she wasn’t an illusion and Marlene took that moment to intercept Alya’s actions and hold her hand so tightly in hers, pulling the girl in a hug she didn’t know she needed. And when she felt her daughter burying her head on her shoulders, she felt like her life was almost complete again, the tears coming down thicker as she rocked Alya from one side to the other, not believing it was really happening.

From behind them, Sirius kept staring at the woman holding his daughter tightly. He was feeling so many things at the same time that he just couldn’t express any of them, but when Marlene’s eyes met his, he crumbled. He didn’t care if anyone walked up to them, he was going to keep crying even if the Minister himself showed up.


	11. Chapter Eleven

If anyone were to say to Sirius that one day he’d be sitting in a dinner table on the other side of the ocean, face to face to the woman he loved and believed to be dead while having just learned that he had an unknown son with her, he’d call them crazy and send them to the psychiatric ward of St. Mungus, but that was exactly what was happening to him on that slightly cold night of July.

A couple of hours had gone since he had knocked on her door, his nerves trembling, his breath caught on his throat, and saw her face for the first time in a long time. All the things he had thought about asking her, all the questions he demanded to be answered were long forgotten as soon as he saw her standing there as if not a day had gone since the last time he had seen her. She was the same beautiful woman he had met at Hogwarts, with her long, soft blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The freckles she tried to so hard to hide under layers of makeup and her naturally red lips, so inviting.

There was nothing Sirius could have done unless stare at her, as she stared right back at him, in complete wonder. Because what else are you supposed to do when the love of your life is standing right in front of you? He pinched himself a couple of times, to make sure it wasn’t a dream, but her form was right there, reachable, alive and looking back at him in adoration, something he was sure she could see in his eyes as well. 18 years had gone by, but not a thing had changed in the way they felt for each other.

And when Alya spoke, her voice trembling all the way, and Marlene just nodded at her and hugged the girl, he thought his heart was about to burst. Because he wanted nothing more than to his daughters to be happy, to be in contact with their mother, to love her as much as he did. However, not everything went perfectly. Against all odds, Lyra was the one who stood frozen on the porch, her eyes squinting slightly and her head shaking, a look of distaste clear in her eyes.

Nevertheless, Sirius reached her by the shoulders in a side hug, pulling the girl closer to him as he whispered something on her ear, something so quiet no one could pick it up. It wasn’t anything important, however. He was just making sure the girl stayed calm and listened to her mother talking, explaining her side of the story.

And that’s what they had been doing for the couple of hours, sitting in the comfortable chairs of Marlene’s dining table, looking at each other as the tension seemed to lower as the woman explained everything she had done, and why so. Well, at least from Sirius and Alya’s side, since Lyra still had her arms crossed over her chest and her face didn’t sport the most approachable expression. She was having a hard time to let her guard down and both her dad and her sister were very aware of that and tried to work around it, hoping the brunette girl would take a step down.

Once the woman had stopped talking, she looked at Sirius, waiting for him to say something, anything. She was sure he was going to scream at her for being so selfish, that he couldn’t believe she thought she wouldn’t be safe with him, that she should’ve reached sooner and that it was too late now, but when her eyes met his, all she could see was adoration. Because she had managed to live in a far away country, totally different from theirs, with another language to be spoken, on her own, without anyone’s help while carrying a child he didn’t even know about. And one look at the boy was all it took for him to be sure she had done an amazing job.

But the first one to speak anything was Lyra. She cleared her throat loudly, drawing all the attention to to her, sighed deeply and shook her head one more time.

“All this time you’ve been hiding?” she asked very quietly, her voice not working very well. “For eighteen years, you’ve been here, living this perfect life, being safe and not worrying about anything while we were in the middle of a fucking war, worrying if we would live to see another day?” her hands had curled in fists on the table top by now. Her breath was labored and her eyes were glossy. She was about to cry, but she wouldn’t do it until she had said everything she had on her mind.

“Of course I was worried,” Marlene started, her gaze averting to the girl in front of her, but she couldn’t get much out of her mouth, for Lyra was already standing up.

“Bullshit!” she bellowed, her right fist colliding against the wooden surface of the table.

“Watch it,” Gale said in an undertone, his posture turned to his older sister. He was more than 20 cm taller than her, but even so she didn’t back down.

“No, you watch it!” she was trembling from head to toe in rage, something that had never happened before. “You don’t get to say anything, ok? Because you were here, perfectly fine and living your perfect life, ok? Out of danger. While me, Alya and my dad? We were left alone, by her” she pointed at Marlene. “We were left behind in a world where everything would tumble down in a matter of time. She didn’t look back, she didn’t care. I didn’t have my mother as I grew up because she was too scared to go back. I had to turn to others to have a mother figure in my life, my father grieved for eighteen years for someone who wasn’t dead. He was desperate, he went through a hell of a lot, so don’t you tell me to watch it, ok? I should be able to get what I have to say, since Aly and dad were too soft.”

The entire room turned quiet, eyes roaming from one face to the other. Alya was too taken aback, not expecting her twin sister to have an outburst like that. She had always been the nice one, the more understanding one, so the blonde girl couldn’t help but feel shocked. Gale had shrunk back to his seat; he hadn’t met the girl before, so he had no idea what she was capable of and from her rant, she was much fiercer than what she looked like. Marlene… Well, Marlene couldn’t meet her eyes. She was too stunned, too upset that she was facing the truth, because she agreed to everything Lyra had said. She had been afraid, she was selfish and she left everything behind, but there wasn’t a day where they didn’t come to her mind. And Sirius was shaking his head vehemently at the brunette. Never he’d imagined she’d be the one to say things like that, to look that angry at someone. He understood everything she was saying, everything she believed to be true, but she had to calm down and understand the other side as well. She couldn’t talk to anyone the way she was, be it her mother or anyone else. That was not the way he had raised her.

Sirius took a deep breath and leaned over the table, his elbows supported by the wood, his finger in front of his mouth, as he looked Lyra deeply in her glossy, tear-spilling eyes.

“You don’t get to talk to anyone like that,” he said in a firm tone, something he always did when he was parenting one of the girls. They had learned to stay quiet whenever he talked like that, knowing they had done something wrong and disrespectful. “Anyone, Lyra, you understand?”

The girl shook her head, a small sarcastically chuckle leaving her. “You have got to be kidding me.” And when he only kept looking at her seriously, the girl grimaced. “Ok, you know what? I’m done here,” she got up and started looking around, trying to find her way out.

“Where are you going?” Alya asked in a small voice, not believing everything that was happening.

“Anywhere. To the streets, back home, I don’t care.” the brunette finished and rampaged out of the living room, her feet hitting hard against the floor as she made her way to the front door and left the house. She was gone.

The silence in the room was even louder, however possible that was. No one knew how to act or what to say. From the corner of his eyes, Sirius saw Marlene fight back the tears in her eyes and got up from his seat, stopping by her side. His hands softly brushed against her arms in a soothing way, his eyes seeking hers in an attempt of showing her that everything was going to be fine and that the girl would come around.

A small smile made way on her face at this. Even after all those years, he still was the only one to calm her down after something stress-filled.

Needless to say, Marlene didn’t show up on work the other day. She had far more things going on her mind than meaningless news written by others to decide if they were going to be printed or not. She had stayed up until late the night before, just talking to Sirius, telling him, in details, how things had gone after the attack on her family, how she didn’t know how she managed to escape the debris, even less how they didn’t catch her before she was safe.

Sirius listened to everything intently, not saying a word until he was done and he understood how it was hard on her too, as much as it was on him, to get away from everything and live another life, but he couldn’t hide the way he got hurt by those actions. He wasn’t blaming it on her, though. He blamed the war that, once again, messed everyone’s lives. He could surpass that as long as he didn’t need to leave her side anymore. And she was more than glad to comply, because there was nothing that her heart desired more than to be back home - her family.  

* * *

 

Lyra was fuming. How could they be so condescendent? How could they just let it all go by her explanation? She could have been back years before, then why didn’t she? The excuse of ‘it wasn’t her decision anymore’ wasn’t enough for her and she couldn’t have stayed one more minute in front of the one woman she thought she would give everything to have back in her life.

Maybe that was why she found herself back in England, not even ten hours after having landed in Brazil. She needed space from what had happened there, and being in another continent was enough at the moment, but who knew? Maybe she’d have to live in another planet to ever let it go.

However, being alone wasn’t an option for her. She needed to talk to someone about it, to tell her that she was right and had acted in the right way, but when she showed up on John’s doorstep and saw the look on his face, guessing everything that had happened and being right, as he always was, she knew she should’ve seen someone else and it bugged her more than anything in the entire world. Because he should be by her side, agree with her. He knew how she felt about not having her mom when growing up.

But even so, she told him everything that had happened ever since they had said goodbye to each other minutes before she entered in that plane. She went through all the tension and the fear of being wrong until they knocked on the right door and came face to face with the woman she should call mother. And while everyone was all too eager to hear to what she had to say and see how she would explain everything, all she could think about was how messed up everything was.

John listened to everything intently, not interrupting her until she had poured all her heart out, cursing all the time, but that was something she always seemed to do when nervous, so he let her be. He waited until she had calmed herself down before speaking.

“So… she’s been living there all this time?” she nodded. “And you’re mad because she never contacted any of you?” one more nod. “Even if it could have put her in danger, or you, or Alya, or your dad, or your new found brother?”

They way he said all those things, so vehemently, so clearly and calm, made her stop in her train of thoughts. Yes, Marlene should have contacted them before despite all that. Shouldn’t have her? Because there was no threat looming over her head, not ever since she ran away. The Death Eaters didn’t care about her, or they would have made sure she was dead. Right? Then why did John make her feel like she was exaggerating? She had the right to be mad. She had been neglected by her own mother, left behind and forgotten, despite anything Marlene had said about not going a single day without thinking of them.

Even so, she couldn’t answer him. She couldn’t think of a way to say everything she was feeling without making him think poorly of her, without him think she was being overdramatic. She had all the right to feel that way, dammit!

“Yes!” She bellowed, her voice finally finding its way. Her sudden outburst took John aback, his eyebrows raising. He hadn’t seen her this distressed in a long time. “Why am I the only to see that this excuse isn’t enough? That everything would be so much different if she had gone back home, to us? We wouldn’t have gone through as much as we did, you know? Maybe my dad would be a different person and Aly and I would have had a mom to help us through, I don’t know, adolescence?”

She was pacing around the living room, circling the small coffee table, almost tripping on the carpet, hear head spinning, whether it was because of her thoughts or her actions, Lyra didn’t know, but she didn’t look like she would stop anytime soon, not until John got up and stood in her way, his hands catching her arms securely, halting her steps and making her look at him. Her stormy blue eyes, with tinges of grey on the outside corner, ebbing away like seafoam after a cloudy, rainy day, met his calm whiskey colored ones, spreading warmth inside her.

And just like that, all her world came tumbling down. Her once angered stance gave way to a much softer, much recollected one, but her body was still shaking, only this time, it meant she was trying to restrain the tears threatening to fall off her eyes. One good look at her and John already knew she was on her breaking point and that was why he slid his hands down her arms to her waist, circling her frame with his arms and bringing it closer to his in a soothing way.

He couldn’t say how long they stayed in that position, with his hands running up and down her back as the girl finally let go of everything and cried silently, her sobs muffled by his now tear-stained t-shirt, but John didn’t care; he’d comfort her for as long as it was necessary.

“You’re feeling better now?” his voice sounded so quietly, so soft, she barely heard him. All she wanted to do was forget of all the world and just feel intoxicated with his touch, his presence, his scent, but Lyra nodded anyway, burying her head deeper in the crook of his neck, only letting go of the boy when he pressed a small kiss on her forehead. “Good,” he smiled down at her and sat down, pulling her with him.

After a few more moments of silence, the girl let out a small sob, trying to start talking without being overwhelmed. “Say it.”

“What?” John looked at her with his brows furrowed.

“I know you’ve got something to tell me,” she said with a small shrug, her eyes cast down on her lap as her fingers played with his. “You can say it now.”

John didn’t understand how she knew him so well. Of course they had been best friends since they were born, but there was something more than that; it was the way she looked at him and suddenly she knew every little thought that went through his head, every little secret he thought he had hidden so well and he knew it had nothing to do with the fact that she was a Legilimens. It was more with the fact that his eyes told her everything there was to know about him, like she was an extension of him and, therefore, she must’ve known everything.

“I don’t want you to be mad at me,” he started off, one of his hands untangling from hers to brush slightly against her cheek, putting a stray lock of her hair behind her ear slowly, almost in adoration. “But you’ve got to let your walls down, babe. You’ve built it so high and thick around you that it’s so hard to tear it down and reach you. I know you’re upset and feel like she abandoned you, but you have to understand her point of view,” he sighed. “If anything of the sorts had happened to us during the Second War, I would never hold it against you. I’d want you to be as safe as possible, even if it meant for me never to see you again.”

“But that would be a completely different case,” the girl whined.

“No, it’s not,” John said before she could say anything else. “It would be the exact same thing, even if we’re not married or don’t have kids of our own. If it meant you’d be safe, I’d rather have that than you in constant danger by my side.” his eyes searched hers, finding them prickling with tears once more, but this time with the thought of them never being together again, even if that wasn’t a possibility anymore. “She’s your mother, Lya. She went through it all to keep everyone safe, to keep you safe. And now she’s back and begging you take her back, babe. Do you know what I would give to have my mom back?”

Lyra grimaced. The mention of that particular subject messed with her feelings more than anything, because Dorcas Meadowes had been the only mother figure she had had; from her baby steps to the first time she found herself crushing on a boy (the fact that it was John made no difference and Lyra had sprinted to Doe to ask her how she should act from then on).

“That’s completely different,” the brunette said, her head shaking as she tried to avoid bringing her missed Aunt Doe on.

“It is,” John said with a small smile. He missed his mom so much. Her ghost loomed over his house ever since she passed away, not him nor his dad able to talk about her to each other. John was more than glad to see he had moved on and he loved Tonks, but he missed his mom with her bright brown eyes, warm smile and kind voice. “But only because your mom, for some miracle, wasn’t killed that night and now she’s back, while mine won’t,” he shook his head sadly. “And don’t you think she’d want you to try and make amends with yours?”

* * *

 

The day had been warmer that day, something kind of unusual for São Paulo in the middle of July and Marlene had taken advantage of it and convinced everyone for a walk around the city, passing by the main sights such as the Ibirapuera Park, Paulista Avenue and why not have a spin around the world and visit Liberdade - the typically Japanese neighborhood?

Their small tour around the biggest city in the country had been fun and enjoyable, but neither of them could shake off the feeling that rested upon them when Lyra walked out of the house and disappeared. John had informed Alya that she was with him, so they were a bit less worried about her, but even so they wanted the girl to be with them, to interact as a family.

That was why they were euphoric as they walked back to the two-store house and found the brunette sitting on the sidewalk in front of it, her head down, picking at her shoes as she waited for them to come back. She had been there for a couple of hours now, but considered it her own punishment for being so short-tempered and accepted her fate gladly. John had knocked some sense into her, as always, making her realize that she was being too harsh on her mother and that she should be happy to have her back in her life. It would be awkward at first, of course, but things would be okay with time.

Lyra got to her feet when she heard people coming towards her, their voices alerting her that her family - finally completed - was back. She had rehearsed everything in her mind, planning her excuses all the way, but as soon as her eyes caught sight of them, her words got stuck on the back of her throat and all she could do was mumble ‘sorry’ over and over, too embarrassed of looking Marlene in the eyes.

The blonde woman smiled warmingly at her, stepping closer and just pushing her in a tight hug, feeling her daughter hug her back just as tightly. Everything was okay now.


	12. Chapter Twelve

What was supposed to be a weekend getaway turned into a week vacation with nothing on their minds and Sirius could not believe how lucky he was for having the woman he loved walking beside him while appreciating the beautiful sights that Buenos Aires provided. It was the first time he had some alone time with Marlene after nearly two decades and having it in this amazing city was something that wouldn't stop making him grin. Not even the chilly wind hitting his face as the walked hand in hand down Puerto Madero could wipe it off his face. It was cliche, but everything seemed kind of magical and maybe the years had made him go soft, but there was nothing he could do about it, except grab in both hands the opportunity the universe had given him.

And it was on one of those nights, right after the show they had seen at Señor Tango, that he finally brought up the conversation they were in need of having. Because it was one thing Marlene being well and alive and willing to make everything to have Sirius accept her in his life, but another thing completely different accepting going back to London and living with him there. He knew there might have been a slim chance of her saying no because of everything she had accomplished. It was like having a new start, with a new job and everything. But she did say yes followed by a whole-heartedly laugh as if she couldn't believe he had thought she would say no. Starting all over again was worth if it meant she'd be by his side, if it meant that their family would be together again.

And that was why, a few weeks later, Marlene made her way through the hallways of the Ministry of Magic, her feet hitting the floor hard, her hair flowing with the breeze she caused, her face in an irritated expression making everyone part ways whenever she walked by them. It wasn't something out of the ordinary to see people walking in that state down in the atrium, but it was something completely extraordinary to see someone who didn't work there being like that.

Nonetheless, Marlene kept walking until she reached her destination, her steps never faltering until she marched into the Aurors' Department, her head held high as she tried her best to avoid everyone, but they always looked at her curiously, no matter how many times they had heard about her being alive.

James was the only one to realize the mood his friend was in and ducked his head before she could even look at him, something she was grateful for. Not even Alya's presence by the end of the hall was enough to put the woman in a good humor. She was just tired of everything already.

Without much of a thought, she opened the door to Sirius' office without bothering to knock - she didn't have time for those formalities - and entered the room in a hurry before slamming the door closed.

"You're in a good mood," Sirius bemused from his seat. He was surrounded by paperwork, his desk filled with parchments, ink and quills, making it hard to find anything in that mess. However, he seemed to understand everything that was going on.

Marlene sat down on the chair opposite to him, crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in annoyance. "You would be if you had to put up with everything I do."

For the first time since she walked in, Sirius turned his eyes away from whatever case he was going through, his reading glasses sliding off the bridge of his nose as he stared her down. She looked on the verge of a mental breakdown, her chest was rising and falling rapidly and her eye had a twitch that meant she was under a lot of stress, yet she couldn't look more beautiful. He didn't voice those thoughts, however, because he was sure she was going to hit him with the first thing she landed her hands on and it wasn't going to be pretty. Instead, he settled for closing the archive on the top of his pile and looked at her, waiting for her to voice her troubles.

"I know I just got here and it's a new job, but for fuck's sake," she said aggressively. "For 18 years I busted my ass off working for a newspaper, I made it to being an editor and now they want me to start from the bottom? Who are they to do that to me? I've worked on the Prophet before! They know my work!"

"They knew your work, Marlene," Sirius said with some caution. He still didn't want to be hit by any flying object. "I'm pretty sure there's a lot of people there who don't know you and even if you were an editor back in Brazil, they need to know you here so you can move up."

"My fucking editor is still there, Black! That old ass man is still there and he said, and I quote, 'it's good to have you back, McKinnon, but we could benefit from your writing more than your management skills. Things aren't the same since you went away'. The fucking old bat can't recognize a self-writing quill in front of him!"

There wasn't much to be talked after that. Sirius knew why she was so upset about it, because he knew, more than anyone else, how much she loved doing her job and despite being a journalist was something she did enjoy, the works assigned to her were pretty much on the down low, something no one really cared about. She wanted to write the real stories, in a way no one in that place could do it. She wanted to make it to the front page and not because she wanted to be recognized, but because that's what she liked to do: write about the important things, cause an impact on the society. She had that idealistic dream every journalist have when they first start it. She didn't let that flame die, much like the majority of them, as the year went by. So, yes, it was hard to see her struggling to get there again, to achieve a position she was already in.

"Do you regret it?" Sirius asked in a restrained voice. He didn't want to know the answer to that, but he kind of want. It was a controversial feeling. When she looked at him like she hadn't understood his question, he tried again. "Do you regret leaving Brazil and coming back here?"

From the way he had said to the way he looked, Marlene knew was afraid of her answer. Sirius wasn't the kind of person to show vulnerability in front of anyone, unless he trusted them deeply. That was the case, though. He trusted her with all his body and soul, he had down the walls he had built around him and shown the entrance to her. He had loved her in a way she had never seen before and made her love him just as much. They had been two broken people who had found a way to pick up their pieces and mend it back together, but in the process, they ended up filling their holes with the other's pieces without even realizing it. Of course she didn't want to hurt him, for it would only hurt herself and of course she didn't regret anything. He was her home, even after all that time.

"Sirius," she started getting up from her chair and walking to him, her hands holding his head to hers in a sweet touch. "Of course I don't regret it. How could I? i wanted nothing more than to just be with you, to come back home, to come back for you and the girls. I will never regret making that decision."

And it was all he needed to hear. She had said everything so vehemently that there was no shadow of doubt that Marlene McKinnon meant everything she had said. Sirius should have known better than to believe all those questionings going on in his mind, but he just wanted to make sure she was as happy as he was. He would leave his job and lose all his money for that woman and she knew that and made it pretty clear to him that she would do the same for him. And there, with Marlene holding his face so close to his, he couldn't feel anything but gratitude for the universe for letting him have found the love of his life.

There was a small knock on the door and a mop of blonde hair, just like Marlene's, emerged from the outside, a sheepish smile on her lips as she looked at the two in such intimate position.

"I hate to disturb," Alya paused and looked at them. "Actually, I don't", she went on with a contained smile. "But that's not the case. Dad, Shacklebolt wanted to have a meeting with you later tonight and I said your schedule was free, but I can see you're all busy right now." she smirked.

Sirius rolled his eyes and looked at Marlene with a grin, her glare turned to Alya in a jokingly way.

"Yes, dear, your father and I are pretty busy right now. I think the Minister for Magic can wait a little longer, right?" she said in a sweet sick voice before rolling her eyes and stepping away from the man she was with. "Go, Black."

Sirius looked from one woman to the other, shaking his head as he tried to understand how in the hell he had ended up with such a weird, yet amazing, family.

"It's not right now," Aly rolled her eyes. "I said later tonight. Please, get your minds out of each other when I'm talking." And with that she closed the door behind her back, but not before looking at them, shaking her head and mumbling something about 'hormonal teenagers'.

Marlene and Sirius looked at each other and bursted in laughters. It had been a long way since they were teenagers, but hormonal was not something they could get away from.

"So," Sirius started once again, the mood already ruined. "You said Gale used to play Quidditch, right?"

"Oh yeah," Marlene smiled. She loved seeing the boy play. She remembered when she first watched him play, his broom zooming in and out of her sight, his black hair blowing with the wind and she felt a sudden pang in her heart; he reminded her of Sirius too much. "It wasn't much of a thing back in Brazil, but he loved it."

"Well, he does take after his parents," the man chuckled. "Say, in which position did he play?"

"He was a Chaser just like his mom." There was no way to mistake her smug tone. They had always fought which position their kids, had they played, would be in.

"Oh, but I'm pretty sure he'll be a Gryffindor just like his dad."

This silly banter between them could go on forever. They had always been extremely competitive when it came to Quidditch, something so out of the charts that it would be impossible for someone who didn't know them to believe they were together. The rivalry was tenant and neither would back down. It was always amusing to see both of them on the field; the intense mockery, the teasing, everything led to a very heated sex after the game. It was their kind of foreplay.

"He likes it here, doesn't he?"

"He does," Marlene smiled. "He's just... a little overwhelmed."

"He misses São Paulo?"

"A bit, but it's not that," she said before forgetting all about where they were and sitting on his lap, her hands automatically going to his hair. "I mean, he said 'I'm lovin' it mom'," she mocked his voice. "He did say that as he eyes Ivy up and down, so I'd be a little worried."

"He did now, did he?" Sirius laughed. "He better watch out, though."

"You think James would dare to touch my son? Let him try."

"Why's he overwhelmed, then?" Sirius pressed. His curiosity had always been a problem and there he was, overthinking things again.

Marlene sighed. "I know you only mean good things and you're trying to make it up for the lost time, but maybe you're towering over him a little too much. Take a breather, Sirius."

* * *

 

There is an infinity of moments that can change someone's life for good, no matter how much they thought it was planned. The universe has a wicked sense of humor and brings down, one by one, all the dreams one have. But there are small moments, tiny specks of time where something extraordinary happens and turn the world upside down, evening out all the bad things that had happened so far. For Sirius, it was the moment he found out Marlene was alive. It was like the rainy clouds that were hovering over his head for so many years had dissipated and everything was clear again, like the sun coming up in the sky after the darkest night.

Ever since they had found each other again, there wasn't a moment when they weren't apart, touching and looking at each other. It was like they had gone back to their teenagers days, much to everyone's disappointment, but who could blame them?

Marlene was already back in London for the past couple of weeks. That house was completely different from the flat they had when she left: it was in a far more populated area, surrounded by parks and neighbors all around. She couldn't say she didn't like it, because it was pretty much like the place she lived back in São Paulo, with all the houses placed next to the other. The difference was that, this time, there was this huge backyard with an amazing looking pool and a garage full of sports cars and the infamous flying motorbike Sirius had gotten when they were 17.

So far, her returning home had costed her a few welcome parties and being able to see everyone who had made part of her life once. She was glad how everyone seemed to welcome her back with wide open arms and a bright smile on their faces. They had become her family as well and lying to them all those years had made her feel bad about it too, but their reactions to her were nothing but warmth. She was back home and that was all that mattered.

That morning of September, however, had come way too soon. Throughout the house, it was possible to hear three set of steps going up and down the stairs in a hurry, trying to get everything together before it was time to leave to King's Cross without waking Sirius and Marlene up, but it was to no avail.

Marlene had already been awake for a little while, her head hidden deep in Sirius' chest as she tried to blindly look for her wand and close the curtains. Damn him and his habit of sleeping with the window open. She liked it to be pitch black, not a single ray of sun to disturb her from her slumber. And their room had to be the one to get the direct light from the morning, of course.

Pissed off already, she finally threw her legs to the side of the bed and got up, rolling her eyes at the figure of her husband in bed, lost to this world, as he slept through all the ruckus that was going on outside of their room. Sometimes, she hated him for being such a heavy sleeper while she was able to wake up to the sound of a pin dropping.

Ever so slowly, she made her way to the ensuite bathroom, flexing all her muscles before walking into the shower and turning it on. The water hit her back with the right amount of pressure, soothing her nerves in the most pleasurable way possible, her stiff neck receiving a special attention as she tilted her head forwards and closed her eyes.

It didn't take long for the bathroom to fog up, the box almost unseen from the other side as Sirius walked into it, his hands running over his face in an attempt to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes. It still kind of blew his mind that Marlene was there, much like the last time he had seen her; the years had completely missed her.

She hadn't noticed the door had opened and someone had walked in until she felt a presence behind her, causing the woman to smile and turn on her heels, the water dripping down her body and hitting Sirius' slightly. He was a few centimeters away from her, but the grin he had on did not go unnoticed by Marlene, who just shook her head and finally wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Someone's up already?" she raised her eyebrows eyeing him meaningfully.

"I had a dream," he started with a chuckle. "There was this really hot blonde walking around my room, completely naked."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Sirius pushed her closer to him, her chest now touching his entirely. "She walked into my bathroom and I just thought I had to join her."

Sirius had always been cheeky enough to come up with scenarios like those. He could take a normal situation and turn it into a sexual innuendo in a heartbeat, something Marlene had always found endearing. She was not the most sensible woman and always opted for the dirty side of the things. Maybe that was why they clicked so well together since they surpassed their blindness to the feelings they had for each other. And then she felt Sirius dip his head, his lips brushing against hers, softly at first, but growing roughly each second.

Marlene could never get used to it. She felt her lips tingle in anticipation to what was going to happen soon, her hands grasping his hair firmly, trying to ground herself to something as he moved them backwards until the woman's back hit the cold wall, making her arch her chest into his and hiss in surprise. Sirius used it to his advantage, slipping his tongue between her lips, exploring every little corner, while his hands roamed all over her body, not deciding which part to give more attention. A small moan escaped Marlene, the sound resonating through Sirius' entire being.

But before anything could get any more carried away, there was a loud knock on the door, followed by muffled voices sounding rushed.

"I thought that once your kids grew up, they were supposed to give you some rest," Sirius huffed, his forehead leant against Marlene's, who laughed softly at his pout.

"Guess we'll have to wait until they move out," she whispered back, her hands coming down from his hair to rest against his chest, kissing him briefly.

A new row of knocks echoed on the bathroom, this time more rapidly and desperate.

"For the love of Merlin, Gale needs to go to King's Cross!" Alya shouted from the other side of the door. "You two had all night and trust us, we know, so hurry up!"

Marlene rolled her eyes at her daughter's words. Was drama running in that family or was it the amount of time they had spent with Sirius that made them so much like him?

And after several times running back into the house and checking if everything was, indeed, in the trunk later, they five of them finally left the house to the train station, complaints and fights over seats aside.

Sirius looked at them through the rear-view mirror and smiled. It was funny how everything had changed over the night and now he had not only two daughters, but also a son, someone looking so much like him that it was unquestionable he was the father. And the way the three of them acted around each other, already in sync, mumbling and shoving each other as if they had been doing it for years amazed him. Gale was the tallest of them, of course, but there was no denying that Alya and Lyra had their way with him.

The Platform 9 ¾ was packed. There were loads of first years looking around everything, from the horde of people around them to the big black train in the platform, taking their time to be amazed by everything and stalling in front of everyone else who had already seen that scene enough times and just wanted to get a good cabin to the journey back to school.

Marlene couldn't stop the smile to spread around her face. It had been years since the last time she had been there, trunk in hand, waiting for the trip back to Scotland. Nothing much had changed, she noticed. Everything looked exactly like she remembered, from the benches against the wall to the interior color of the train and it made her heart ache in reminisce. She felt like it was her seventh year all over again, the excitement of finally being on her last year and not having to go back to that school anymore. If her 17 year-old self only knew what she was going to go through, maybe she would have enjoyed it a bit more.

Her sudden halt caused Gale to stumble into her, his trunk sliding across the floor as he rolled his eyes. Great, now not only he was the only seventh year to go through the Sorting Ceremony he was also the guy who had spilled the content of his packing across the station. Why did they have to go by train? Why couldn't he just Aparate or something? Why couldn't he be Sorted when the classes hadn't started? Why couldn't he go back to Castelobruxo?

Sirius walked up to the boy and picked up his trunk and firmly grasped him by the shoulder. He could sense Gale was in a internal debate.

"You know you don't have to do this, right?" he whispered. "You can go back to Castelobruxo and finish your studies there, Gale, it's your choice."

The younger Black looked at his father. He was so sure he would tell him he should go to Hogwarts, to follow his parents steps and study in the finest Wizarding School known to mankind, but he was incredibly wrong. There he was, staring at him and telling him it was ok to kiss Scotland goodbye and go back to Brazil and his friends. And he was so tempted to accept it that he almost said it, but something snapped him out of this thought. He wanted to do something different, he wanted to see how it was to go to another school. He had always dreamed about it, something his mother always frowned upon and now he was having an opportunity. Yes, he was going to miss his friends, but it wasn't like he couldn't make new ones. He already had Ivy, for that matter.

"It's ok. I'm going," he said with a confident smile, his hand reaching for his trunk.

And that was it, Sirius thought. He was, for the last time, standing in Platform 9 ¾ waving off to his youngest child on his last year, but this time he wasn't going to be on his own after that. Sure, he now had Alya and Lyra, but, as his hands gripped Marlene's, he couldn't contain the happiness that had overtaken his heart. His family was now complete.

Marlene looked at him one more time ever since she had woken up that day. She didn't know what it was, maybe the memories of being there with him, or the thought of sending Gale away to the place he truly belonged, but she was feeling rather sentimental that day. And out of nowhere, she reached up and kissed Sirius softly, her lips brushing against his ever so slightly.

She pulled back with a smile and leaned against his chest as she watched the train leave the station.

They had found their way back to each other. Everything was perfect.


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I just realized I don’t know what to say, because I never thought I would have to say goodbye to this story, to be honest. And now… My friend just sent me the link of All By Myself. What a way to end the night.
> 
> Anywaaaaaays. OMG. OMG. I am in tears, for real this time! Because this is it, guys. This is the end of To Build a Home and I don’t want it to end. It’s been my favorite thing to write, it’s been my life for the past few months and it’s been one of my greatest thing ever. I just want to thank everyone who read it, commented and talked about it. Really, there’s no way I would have done it without you guys!
> 
> But omg… I have already talked too much! I’ll just leave you all with the epilogue and thank you one more time as I say goodbye and hope you enjoyed the ride. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING TO BUILD A HOME AND GOODBYE… For now.

In every little corner, there was a vase full of white calla lilies, swaying from one side to the other with the warm breeze, acting as if there was no worries in the world, contrasting with the cloudless blue sky and the movement of people running from one side to the other of the decorated backyard. One of them was Sirius, walking around aimlessly, trying to find something he could do in order to feel useful, or just less nervous. He had run his hands through his hair countless times making it stick up in every different direction. Had people not known him, they would have thought he was a distant relative of James, considering the resemblance the hair caused.

Deep down, he didn’t know why he was acting so desperate and at least a couple dozen of people had already asked him why he was acting that way. Well, it was an important day for someone important to him. It was enough to make his heart speed up and his palms sweat. He had seen them grow up. He was there in most moments of their lives, helped when needed, talked when they came for advice and contrary to popular belief, he had been a good influence.

“What are you doing now, Black?” Marlene asked, her eyes squinting a bit as she walked from the house into the yard, the sun hitting her eyes so suddenly she almost didn’t see the final step leading out of the kitchen.

“I don’t know,” Sirius confessed, his head turning from one side to the other, trying to find something to do. “Just… Trying to find something.”

Marlene chuckled and walked up to him, her hands reaching for his and squeezing it slightly. She knew he was having a hard time, clearly not as hard as the first time it happened, but something was going on inside that head of his. And while she also had some kind of part in that event, she wasn’t that much disturbed by it. The truth was, Marlene had only been back in their lives for the past four years. Maybe if she had been there sooner, she would be going crazy as well.

“It’s not like you’re the father of the bride,” she joked trying to get something out of him, any kind of reaction that would make him ease down. No such luck there.

“Ha,” he said sarcastically, his eyes rolling. “Where’s Lyra?”

“You know she’s going to run late, Sirius.”

“Alya?”

“Somewhere inside helping.”

“Gale?”

“Back there trying to convince James letting Ivy go on a weekend getaway with him,” she laughed. “He’s not having any luck, if you’re wondering. I heard a couple of threatens already.”

Sirius laughed wholeheartedly for the first time in the day, trying to picture how things were going for his son. Ever since Gale had shown the slight interest in Ivy, Sirius and Marlene had predicted it was going to be hard for James to accept it. First, because Ivy was his little girl and someone he had been trying to shield from the world for most of her life and second because Gale was exactly like Sirius, not only in appearance, but also in the way he acted, his smile, his stupid hair, the way he made girls throw themselves at his feet, his sweet talk. Everything he did made James instantly remember of Sirius back when they were in school and if there was something he wanted the most, was to keep his daughter away from someone like that.

It hadn’t worked at all. What James had failed to realize was that Ivy was her own person and while she wasn’t as outgoing as Harry, she wasn’t exactly a shy student. She was a little like Lily, to be honest. She did what she wanted, despite what everyone thought of her. It didn’t take long for the girl to befriend Gale when he got there and from them on, both of them had been tied to the hip, going everywhere together, studying together, talking all the time. There was a time Gale had been in the way of a possible guy trying to go out with Ivy, and James had thought that maybe he could count on the boy to help him, but much like it had already happened to Lyra and John, it ended up with the youngests of the Black and Potter families being together.

James was somewhat over that by now, but there was no way he’d let his daughter go on a trip over the weekend with her boyfriend, no matter how many times he asked and tried to prove to him he was nothing but a good guy. He had seen his fair share of good guys. Sirius, on the other hand, couldn’t help but laugh it off and make fun of his best friend for it. A few years back, James had told Sirius he was being childish for acting this way, that Lyra was old enough to do what she wanted, that she was a good girl and deserved the benefit of doubt. Oh, how had the tables turned.

“I’m glad to see your son’s despair is your amusement,” Marlene said, her head shaking from one side to the other. She knew it wasn’t that, but the fact that James was now in a place he had been before. She just liked to tease him, of course.

The back door swung open, cutting them off, causing all the ruckus going on inside to reach their ears. Something about the decorations not being finished yet,  or the guests not having a place to be after the ceremony. Most of the distress coming from Molly Weasley was about the food not being enough or not good enough for the guests. Of course it wasn’t the truth; she had been up at the crack of the dawn trying to get everything ready and it was just her nerves kicking in.

Funny how things work, Sirius thought. It seemed like everyone was having some kind of mental breakdown while the two people who held the most important role in the wedding looked like they were on their way to take a stroll on the beach. It was a good thing, really. No drama, no brides running around trying to murder everyone or trying to find something to go wrong; no groom to be scared and having seconds thoughts or trying to run away. Not different from his wedding, to be honest, but completely different from the moment he proposed to Marlene.

* * *

_1978 was supposed to be completely different from any other year Sirius had lived so far. For starters, he wasn’t in school anymore. He was finally of age and out of Hogwarts to do whatever he wanted. Yes, there was a war going on, something that became much more worrisome as soon as he realized that he was an adult now and had to do something. He wanted to do something, he needed to do something. That was his sense of duty, his choice to make the world a better place for the ones he loved._

_It was also the time he had to do something reckless, like he had always done, and what better way than to just jump into the most dangerous time the Wizarding World was facing and asking his girlfriend to marry him? They wanted to believe that they were timeless, invincible, but they weren’t. He had heard people dying left and right, people disappearing and people killing others. He didn’t want to live a life in fear and skip every little moment that could have brought him happiness because he was too scared of something happening._

_Maybe that was why he had entered that store as he made his way to his apartment, the one he had been sharing with Marlene ever since they graduated and convinced her parents to let them live together. It wasn’t much of a thing, just a normal loft in the outskirts of London, but it was perfect for the two of them. It provided the kind of protection they were looking for. No one would be looking for them somewhere so far away from the center, so full of Muggles. At least that was what they hoped for._

_So, yeah. Sirius Black, the once fuckboy Sirius Black, was committed to one woman only and wanted to be it for the rest of his life and he hoped his girlfriend wanted the same, or that would be a hell of an awkward december night and his impulsive behavior in buying that ring would be for nothing._

_It was a funny thing, he thought as he looked at the jewelry he held in his hands, how one simple gold circle could mean so much. Of course the meaning was not in it, but in what they felt for each other, the ring being merely a representation of their bond. Still, it felt odd to hold it in his hands and imagine what it would be like to have that small object wrapped her fingers. He had spent so much time looking at it and picturing it, creating a whole scene in his mind, all the things he could say and what she would answer, from her saying yes to her walking away from him, thing she would never do._

_Sirius lost track of time, once more. He had been too lost in his own mind that when he realized it was nearly two hours after the time he said he’d be home, he snapped out of his thoughts, paid for the ring and ran home, his feet leading him faster than ever. There was one or two occasions where he gave thought into Apparating in the middle of the street, but it would only bring problem. The night was cold, but somehow everyone was out and about, already starting their Christmas shopping. He was in such a fret, he didn’t even notice when he ascended the escalator blindly, reaching the top and running into someone, his gaze focused on the tall building a few blocks away from his station._

_Of course Marlene was going up the walls with no news from the man. She was going all kinds of crazy, trying to think rationally before doing something she would regret later, but he was late and her mind kept going places she didn’t want to explore. In the couple of hours they had been away, her thoughts already set her in several different scenarios, each one of them ending up with her finding his dead body under the Dark Mark in the sky._

_The moment he walked through the door, however, she felt every fiber of her being turn cold and the only thing running through her mind was inflicting him pain in ways he had never felt before. How dared he leave her with no news and then walk in as if nothing had happened? He was breathless, his hair was disheveled and his hands were full of bags, but she didn’t think twice before marching up to him, her hands in fists, ready to punch the hell out of him just like the Muggles would do._

_It wasn’t his smile that made her halt, however. It was the strong smell of cigarettes and cheap perfume coming from him that did. The cigarettes she understood, but the woman’s scent coming from him was something new. It wasn’t the perfume she wore, not even in the slight. Marlene McKinnon would never have that bad of a taste, that’s for sure. Where the hell had him been and who with? Her face went from worry to suspicious in a fract of second, her resolve to kill him only increasing. Had that bastard been having an affair while she stayed home and worried to death about him?_

_“Where the fuck have you been, Black?” she seethed, her voice laced in venom for the first time in what felt like years. She thought she would never have to talk to Sirius that way again. Well, maybe she was wrong._

_“What do you mean?” Sirius frowned. “I know I’m a bit late, but I got distracted. I was out for grocery, remember?” he motioned to his hands, full of bags containing everything they needed for the rest of the week._

_“You must think you’re so smart,” she answered back, her eyes rolling as she grabbed the bags from his hands and put them on the table. “But I’m onto you, Black. Where the fuck have you been?” she asked one more time, her voice colder._

_Sirius raised one eyebrow, completely confused with her demeanor. He hadn’t been exactly only in the supermarket, but she didn’t to know that, at least not for now._

_“I was at the supermarket, McKinnon,” he explained again, slower this time._

_Marlene however, was having none of it. She was too stressed for having him lying to her straight to her face. She thought that, after all the time they had been together, he would at least have the decency of telling her she wasn’t the only woman to him anymore and give her the chance to walk away from his life instead of playing dumb._

_“You smell of cigarettes and cheap perfume, Black!” the blonde ran her hands through her hair, sighing deeply. “And you tell me you haven’t been anywhere else?”_

_Sirius looked around, trying to understand what was happening. Had he took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in a parallel world where his girlfriend acted like a lunatic? Yes, he smelled of cigarettes, but that was always like that: he had a packet of it stuffed in his pocket at that moment. As for the perfume… He wasn’t sure where that had come from, but probably from the packed underground._

_And he offered her that explanation, but it still seemed to do nothing in his favour. Marlene was set on accusing him on having an affair when all he had been doing was getting all the food and supplies they needed for their place and losing time searching for an engagement ring for her. It was crazy to see her going off like that, not giving him the opportunity to say anything in his defense._

_He let her have it, though. She was on a roll and there was no stopping that woman when it happened, he knew that. Instead, he stood there, his back leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her walk around the living room, her long legs circling the living room countless times, her arms flying all over the place, her hair a mess. Her face was red in rage, her plump red lips cussing and throwing all kinds of offense at him. Yet, he just stood there looking at her mesmerized, admiring the way she was so fierce, so sure of herself, even if she was completely wrong. He loved watching her being passionate about her beliefs, even if it meant she was on the verge of killing him for nothing._

_And it was amidst it all, seeing her crazily beautiful madness, that he walked up to the woman, stopping in front of her, making her halt in place, her face in a furious expression, and grabbing her arms, making Marlene look at him despite her wanting nothing more than to hit that stupid face. That stupidly beautiful face. Why did he have to be so fucking good looking? Why did he made her feel things she never thought she would? It was unfair to give someone so much power over their own life._

_“Are you going to let me talk or what?” he whispered, his breath fanning down her face, tickling her rosy cheeks. He was so close she just needed to breath a little bit harder for their chests to touch, she just needed to tilt her head for their lips to meet. And how she wanted to do it, but she couldn’t. She had to be strong._

_“Which excuse are you going to use now, huh?” she shot back. “Are you going to say that I’m going crazy and that this is just Lily’s perfume or Doe’s? Because, let me tell you, Black, I know them just as much as you do and I swear to Merlin they wouldn’t have such a bad taste as this skank you’ve been with, ok? So spare me and just say the truth!”_

_“You are being crazy,” he limited himself to say. “And yes, this does not belong to Lily or Doe, but for fuck’s sake, McKinnon, you have to think higher of me. We’ve been together for years, woman. Do you really think I’d do that to you?”_

_She wanted to say yes. She wanted to say that she believed he was a player and had never changed, but she couldn’t. She had seen him change from his old persona to someone else, someone more mature, someone who wouldn’t throw away something certain for a wild thing, someone who wouldn’t let her down and break her heart like many had done before. That was why she cowered, letting out a deep breath, but not letting her guard down just yet._

_“Where have you been?” she asked again, her voice softer, her eyes pleading him to tell her the truth._

_“I’ve been doing groceries shopping,” Sirius said staring into her eyes, trying to convey as much as truth he could. “And somewhere else as well.” And the flicker of hope he had seen in her eyes were gone in a snap of fingers._

_He could see the flame inside of her die down, as if she had reached her breaking point. She was scared of asking where, but she needed to know, she needed to hear him say it and confirm all her beliefs._

_“I have been doing something you might think of me differently,” he started and chuckled inwardly. He had chosen the wrong words and set all alarms inside her head. “Fuck, not like that,” he shook his head. “Let me try again. I was doing something that might change our entire lives, but it’s up to you to let it change.”_

_And then, without taking his eyes off of her, Sirius’ right hand let go of his left arm to reach down the pocket of his jeans, struggling a bit with whatever was in there until he finally managed to get it out._

_Marlene watched as his hand came back holding a square velvet box, her eyes widening as her free hand reached her mouth. No, it couldn’t be it right? She couldn’t be there staring at Sirius getting down on his knees, one of his hand holding hers while the other was closed around the infamous box. It had to be a dream, a escape mechanism she was using as he told her he was cheating on her._

_But it wasn’t. It was happening in front of her, the way he looked, so nervous yet confident, all kinds of emotions running through his eyes, his hand sweating, his voice trembling. It was all very real._

_“Marlene McKinnon,” he started with a smile, the brightest one he had ever sported. “I know we’re living in a shitty world right now, full of dangers and people would frown upon us acting so reckless, but I don’t want to live carefully and regret it when I’m older. I want to live the fullest, I want to be reckless and I want you to be with me through it all. I want to wake up next to you each and every day, I want to come home and see you, I want to go to bed and have you lying next to me. And although we already have that, I want to do it with you being mine forever, my wife, the only woman I have ever loved, the only woman I will ever love. So,” he took a deep breath. “Marlene McKinnon, will you marry me and help me being the most reckless person in this world?”_

* * *

Sirius stared down at the gold circle on his left hand, a smile creeping on his face as he thought about everything he had lived so far. He had loved, he had lost, he had grieved, he had found his way back, he had loved his daughters. He hadn’t moved on, but he was glad. Marlene had found her way back to him, back to his life, to his side, the one place she should have never left. It didn’t matter, however. Because the world could throw anything at them, try to do everything to keep them apart, but it wouldn’t last.  

Needless to say, the wedding of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley had been amazing, as expected. All nerves had died down, everyone feeling in complete awe as they watched the ceremony, so simple, so full of love and full of everyone who held a special place in the hearts of the bride and groom.

The night had already fallen when Sirius and Marlene stepped out of The Burrow, their faltering steps leading them away from the loud music as they laughed off at something silly, something they couldn’t remember properly.

The warm breeze hit their skin, their laughs ceasing the moment Sirius pushed Marlene closer to him, his arms circling around her waist as her hands grasped one of his hands, their chests touching, their breaths mingling. And just like that, they started dancing to the faint sound of music, the stars shining brightly upon them, the hills being their stage.

It was poetic, like the secret verses shared between to lovers supposed to be together for the rest of their lives. It was romantic, like the most beautiful love story to ever be told to anyone. It was their moment, their little space in time to be their true selves.

“Are you happy?” Sirius asked, his eyes shining down on hers, his feet never stopping leading her in whatever dance that was.

“How can I not be?” she asked back, her smile reaching her eyes.

Of course she was. There was no way of being unhappy with anything he did: from the way he left all the windows open to the way he never put his dirty clothes in the hamper. There wasn’t a thing that could make Marlene McKinnon - no… Marlene Black - not unlove Sirius Black. It wasn’t going to be the way he was overdramatic, it wasn’t going to be his overprotective nature, it wasn’t going to be any of his flaws. She loved him undoubtedly, wholeheartedly and irrevocably.

Life had put them through too much and they had overcome it all. There was not a thing in this whole world that could stop them from loving each other.

And just like that, with that promise evident on their looks, they closed the distance between them, their lips meeting in the sweetest kiss they could ever share. A kiss full of hopes for the future, a kiss full of promises, a kiss meaning they were never going to be away from each other anymore.

**THE END**


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